SaudiCanadian diplomatic disruption explained
The diplomatic spat between Canada and Saudi Arabia that erupted over the weekend has left many wondering what is going on. Here are answers to a few basic questions:
What prompted the dispute? The dispute ostensibly arose because of a tweet from Canada’s Global Affairs Ministry decrying the arrest of two female bloggers and activists, and urging Saudi authorities to free the two women — one of whom was Samar Badawi, sister of jailed blogger Raif Badawi — as well as “all peaceful human rights activists.”
The Saudi Foreign Ministry called the tweet an attempt by Canada to interfere with the country’s internal affairs. Saudi Arabia announced it was suspending future trade with Canada and severing diplomatic ties. Media reports also suggest Saudi Arabia may cancel thousands of scholarships for students attending school in Canada.
Some analysts perceive the move as both a power play for the kingdom’s young leader and a demonstration put on for the benefit of countries with stronger ties to Saudi Arabia than Canada.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman recently went on a global tour touting proposed economic reforms and promoting his vision for the kingdom as “the next Europe.” Despite those ideals, however, the country has continued to take aggressive actions against some neighbours, and concerns about domestic human rights practices persist. What’s affected?
The impact of Saudi Arabia’s flexing of diplomatic muscle is still unclear. The decision to freeze new trade agreements could threaten Canada’s $15billion arms deal that includes providing armoured vehicles to the kingdom, but Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said it was “premature’’ to comment on its status.
On Tuesday, Finance Minister Bill Morneau appeared to downplay the financial impact of the diplomatic dispute. “We have very strong trading relationships around the world,” he said. “This is something where we know we need to lead with our values.”
Thomas Juneau, an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, estimated the trade relationship between Canada and Saudi Arabia totals between $3 and $4 billion a year.
Travel to the country will also be affected. Saudia Airlines said Tuesday it will suspend flights to and from Canada starting Aug. 13.
What has the response been so far?
Canada has said it’s alarmed by Saudi Arabia move, but hasn’t walked back the comments that apparently prompted the row in the first place. On Monday, Freeland doubled down on the position by saying Canadians expect their government’s foreign policy to be guided by their values.
“We are always going to speak up for human rights, we are always going to speak up for women’s rights, and that is not going to change,’’ Freeland said.
The United States said Tuesday that both Canada and Saudi Arabia are “close partners” of the U.S., and asked the Saudi government for more information about the detention of several activists. The U.S. also said it encourages the Saudis to “ensure all are afforded due process.”
The European Commission said it’s seeking clarification about the arrest of activists in Saudi Arabia. On the diplomatic dispute, commission spokesperson Maja Kocijancic said, “We don’t comment on bilateral relations.”
Neighbours Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have voiced solidarity with Saudi Arabia, according to reports.
Who is Dennis Horak and where is he now?
The displaced Canadian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, who was given 24 hours to leave the country, has a lengthy career. Prior to his appointment to Riyadh in 2015, Horak was head of mission in Iran for the thenForeign Affairs Ministry. He also spent three years as director of its Middle East Relations Division from 2012 to 2015. Freeland declined to comment on Horak’s location and would only say he was doing fine.
Has this sort of thing happened before?
In 2015, Riyadh recalled its ambassador to Sweden and stopped issuing work visas after the country’s foreign minister described a court decision related to Raif Badawi as “medieval” and the kingdom’s ruling Al Saud family as presiding over a “dictatorship.” Last year, the kingdom recalled its ambassador to Germany after a testy exchange with that country’s foreign affairs minister over Saudi Arabia’s military presence in Yemen.