Macron welcomes Canada's Carney to French Atlantic territory

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday (Sep 20) welcomed Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney to France's tiny North Atlantic territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, just off the Canadian coast. 

The leaders' meeting was being held at a time when both their countries are experiencing strained relations with the United States.

They were expected to confirm Canada's close relations with both France and the European Union in a joint statement following a working lunch.

"In a world in crisis, our friendship is a strength," Macron posted on X, below a video of him welcoming Carney at the airport.

"Together, we affirm our sovereignty, our freedom to decide and our willingness to build a future of peace and prosperity," he added.

Macron's three-day visit to the French territory, a three-island archipelago of fewer than 6,000 people just 25 kilometres (15 miles) off Newfoundland, is the first by a French president in more than a decade.

The trip carries significant symbolic resonance.

The archipelago is France's only remaining possession in North America, a vestige of the vast territories Paris once controlled in what is now Canada and the United States. 

Macron argues that US President Donald Trump's second mandate has reinforced his argument that Europe needs to become more sovereign, especially on security.

Carney, caught up in an intensifying dispute with US President Donald Trump - who has even threatened to annex Canada - has welcomed a proposal for his country to become the European Union's first "associate member".

Trump's repeated remarks about making Canada the 51st US state have been strongly rejected by Ottawa.