Carney accepts invitation to visit Saudi Arabia ‘in the future’ amid diplomatic thaw
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $205*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Mark Carney says he plans to visit Saudi Arabia “in the future” after being invited by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The visit would be the first by a sitting Canadian prime minister in at least two decades and the invitation follows a gradual thaw in bilateral relations after years of diplomatic strain.
In May 2023, Canada and Saudi Arabia appointed ambassadors and agreed to move past a 2018 dispute which started when the Trudeau government criticized the kingdom’s justice system and its treatment of women.
Carney has made the Persian Gulf region a focus of his efforts to drum up investment through visits over the past year to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Since the U.S. and Israel declared war on Iran, Carney has put advocacy for Gulf countries at the centre of Canada’s statements and has talked about offering support to Gulf states to enforce a ceasefire if one occurs.
Saudi Arabia has maintained close ties with Washington despite U.S. intelligence agencies saying Prince Mohammed approved the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2026.