Diplomatic Breakthrough: Saudi Arabia and Canada Mend Fences after a 2018 Spat

Canadian Premier Justin Trudeau and Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman
Image Credit: Google

Gulzar Ahmed

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Canada have announced to patch their ties after a spat in 2018 due to Human Rights violations issue. Both the countries announced to restore their diplomatic relations at a place that had been prior to 2018.

Canada has recommended a name Jean Phillipe Linteau, who is a long-time member of its Department of Foreign Relations and International Trade as its Ambassador to KSA while the is later is yet to announce its nomination for the top slot kept vacant at Saudi’s Embassy in Canada.

The recent development was discussed in the meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman and Canadian Premier Justin Trudeau at Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum back in November 2022.

The Dispute of 2018 in which Diplomatic Ties Ruptured:

1. The Matter of Human Rights Activists:

The dispute in the bilateral diplomatic relations between KSA and Canada raised when the former arrested seven high profile female human rights activist.

They included Samar Badavi, whose brother Raif Badavi was also jailed at that time. His wife and children fled to Canada where they got asylum with grant of citizenship.

Canada was the first country to official denounce the arrest which was followed by large-scale condemnation by civil societies on social media.

Canadian Foreign Ministry tweeted in August 2018, “Canada is gravely concerned about additional arrest of civil society and women rights activists in #Saudi Arabia including Samar Badavi”.

In addition, “We urge the Saudi authorities to immediately release them along all other peaceful #human rights activists”.

Responding the move, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia wrote “the Canadian position is a grave and unacceptable violation of the Kingdom’s laws and procedures.”

Saudi Arabia also threatened to recall its Ambassador to Canada. It also declared Canada’s Ambassador Dennis Horak a “Persona non grata” while giving him 24 hours to leave the country

2. The Matter of Jamal Khashoggi:

The alleged murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in October 2018 added fuel to the fire between the relations of two countries.

Canada, among other countries denounced the killing by terming it “unconscionable attack on the freedom of expression” and imposed sanction on the Saudi officials linked to the killing.

The Recent wave of Rapprochement by Saudi Arabia in 2023:

Saudi Arabia, while ignoring the tensions raised in the past, has started series of rapprochement:

In March, the Kingdom re-established its diplomatic ties with Iran through a deal brokered by China.

In this month, KSA has resumed it diplomatic relation with Syria and also invited Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to attend summit of Arab League held in Riyadh.

Saudi Arabi seems serious in brokering deal in Sudan as it has invited and organized several talks between warring Generals of Sudan in its territory.