Prime Minister Carney participates in a virtual meeting on the situation in the Middle East

CANADA, September 15 - Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, participated in a virtual meeting on the Middle East, chaired by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron. The meeting was also attended by the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Kingdom. 

Prime Minister Carney expressed solidarity with Qatar following Israel’s strikes in Doha, which violate Qatar’s sovereignty and pose a grave risk of escalating conflict throughout the region. All leaders agreed that the focus must remain on advancing peace and security, including reaching a lasting ceasefire, securing the release of all hostages and the disarmament of Hamas, and scaling up flows of life-saving assistance for Palestinian civilians.

Prime Minister Carney reinforced Canada’s longstanding support for a two-state solution – an independent, viable, and sovereign Palestinian state living side by side with the State of Israel in peace and security. To that end, he reiterated Canada’s intent to recognize the State of Palestine in advance of the 80^th Session of the United Nations General Assembly later this month – an intention that is predicated on the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to much-needed reforms, to hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarize the Palestinian state.