Macron and Carney in symbolic meeting on French islands

 

TT 

Published 18.30

 

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron at a meeting on French islands just off the coast of Canada. Photo: Adrian Wyld /AP/TT

The French archipelago of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon in the North Atlantic, just off the Canadian coast, became a location charged with symbolism when French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

"In a world of crises, our friendship signifies strength," Macron wrote on X, sharing a video of himself welcoming Carney to one of the tiny islands.

The meeting takes place against the backdrop of both countries' strained relations with the US administration, while also carrying great symbolic weight, as the three-island archipelago represents the last French territories off the coast of North America.

The islands, home to just under 6,000 inhabitants, lie a little over 20 kilometers off the coast of Newfoundland. This marks the first time in more than a decade that a French president has visited the islands.

"Together, we reaffirm our sovereignty, our freedom to decide, and our determination to build a future of peace and prosperity," Macron wrote in a message implicitly directed at the White House.