Canada, Saudi Arabia rekindle diplomatic relations after 2018 human rights rift

Canada and Saudi Arabia agreed to resume diplomatic relations, ending a five-year quality jumpstarted by quality rights concerns.

The decision, announced by some overseas ministries precocious Wednesday, was reached pursuing discussions by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman connected the sidelines of the acme of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum successful Bangkok successful November past year.

It reflects the "desire for some sides to reconstruct diplomatic relations betwixt the countries connected the ground of communal respect," Saudi Arabia and Canada said.

Canada has appointed Jean-Philippe Linteau, who has astir precocious served arsenic the country's consul wide successful Dubai, arsenic Ottawa's caller ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Riyadh has yet to denote its ain ambassador.

Diplomatic ties betwixt the 2 countries fissured successful the summertime of 2018, specified months earlier the October sidesplitting of dissident Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi earned Riyadh wide disapproval from Western partners. The rupture was sparked by Canada's tweet expressing Ottawa was "gravely acrophobic astir further arrests of civilian nine and women's rights activists," coupled with a plea for Saudi authorities to "immediately merchandise them."

Riyadh astatine the clip qualified Canada's position arsenic "overt and blatant interference successful the interior affairs of the Kingdom" and a "contravention of the astir basal planetary norms." The kingdom swiftly retaliated by freezing caller commercialized and concern transactions, giving the Canadian ambassador 24 hours to exit the state and stopping aesculapian attraction programs successful the North American country.

Official Canadian data indicates that the North American country's exports to Saudi Arabia totaled $2.2 cardinal Canadian dollars ($1.62 billion) successful 2021, of which 81% comprised proscription equipment. Canada's imports from Saudi Arabia amounted to 2.4 cardinal Canadian dollars implicit that aforesaid period.

The normalization of relations with Canada is the latest successful Saudi Arabia's evident steps to prosecute diplomatic stability, fostering a maturation situation for its plans to further diversify its more-than-$1 trillion system distant from humanities reliance connected fossil fuels.

In aboriginal March, Riyadh agreed to resuscitate ties with arch-rival Iran successful a China-brokered arrangement, portion U.S. President Joe Biden yet met the crown prince successful July past year, with an oculus to "reset" Washington's narration with its Middle East ally.