Envoy expelled over ‘interference’
DUBAI — Saudi Arabia on Monday ordered the Canadian ambassador to leave the kingdom within 24 hours after his nation criticized the recent arrest of “women’s rights activists”.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry also announced “the freezing of all new trade and investment transactions with Canada while retaining its right to take further action”.
Nearly 10 percent of Canadian crude oil imports come from Saudi Arabia.
“Any further step from the Canadian side in that direction will be considered as acknowledgment of our right to interfere in the Canadian domestic affairs,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“Canada and all other nations need to know that they can’t claim to be more concerned than the kingdom over its own citizens.”
It wasn’t immediately clear if Ambassador Dennis Horak was in the kingdom. Saudi Arabia said it would recall its ambassador to Canada as well.
Marie-Pier Baril, a spokeswoman for Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, said Canada was “seriously concerned” by Saudi Arabia’s actions.
The dispute appears centered around tweets by Canadian diplomats calling on the kingdom to “immediately release women’s rights activists” recently detained by the kingdom.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry also slammed the Canadian statement.
“Using the phrase ‘immediately release’ in the Canadian statement is very unfortunate, reprehensible and unacceptable in relations between states,” the ministry said.
Riyadh’s expulsion of the Canadian ambassador was meant to send a strong message to other critical Western governments, observers said.
In June, Saudi Arabia ended its long practice of not allowing women to drive automobiles in the kingdom.
It isn’t immediately clear what new business could be affected between the two countries. Bilateral trade between the nations reached $3 billion in 2016, with tanks and fighting vehicles among the top Canadian exports to the kingdom, according to government statistics.
Bahrain said on Monday it stood with Saudi Arabia. “The Kingdom of Bahrain affirms its full solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ... against anyone attempting to undermine its sovereignty,” the Bahraini Foreign Ministry said.