Saudi Arabia restored diplomatic relations with Canada on Wednesday, the country\u2019s foreign ministry said in a statement, ending a five-year rift over Riyadh\u2019s jailing of activists that damaged trade and relations with both countries.
\nThe decision follows discussions between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Canada\u2019s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last November on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum in Bangkok, the statement added.
\n\u201cIt has been decided to restore the level of diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia to its previous level,\u201d Canada foreign ministry said in a statement, which also announced the restoration of relations.
\nBoth countries also announced Canada\u2019s new ambassador in Saudi Arabia as being Jean-Philippe Linteau, and expressed their desire to restore diplomatic relations on the basis of mutual respect and common interests.
\nCanada\u2019s relations with Saudi Arabia nosedived in 2018 after officials in Ottawa accused the kingdom of human rights violations and demanded the release of imprisoned activists.
\nSaudi Arabia responded by freezing new trade and investment deals, suspending flights to Canada, reassigning students studying there and expelling Canada\u2019s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, while recalling its own. The response at the time had struck some observers as a disproportionate overreaction to a relatively routine criticism of the country\u2019s human rights record.
\nSaudi Arabia has lately been prioritizing economic growth at home, which requires regional stability to succeed. The $1 trillion economy has been on a quest to move away from its traditional reputation as a conservative, combative oil producer, and towards a global economic player and key regional tourism and business hub.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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