Canadian Prime Minister's Visit to France Amid Challenges

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Paris on March 17 local time and held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.

This is Carney's first foreign visit since taking office as prime minister, and it comes against the backdrop of US President Trump's challenges to Canada's sovereignty and economy.

Before the meeting, Carney said in French, "We must strengthen diplomatic relations to deal with an increasingly unstable and dangerous world."

Carney also described Canada as "the most Europeanized non-European country".

Macron said, "Fair trade that respects international rules is good for the prosperity of every country. It is much more effective than tariffs that only cause inflation and disrupt the integration of our economy and supply chains."

It is believed that Carney's choice to visit France and the UK first after taking office is based on Canada's historical ties with these two countries. Canada is considered to have been shaped by these two European nations. At his inauguration, Carney said that Canada was built on the foundation of three peoples - the French, the British, and the indigenous people.

Before the visit, Carney asked the Ministry of National Defense to review the plan to purchase US F - 35 fighter jets. Meanwhile, Macron has been persuading France's allies to abandon the purchase of US military equipment.