Canada is ‘at a disadvantage’ in Iran but there are no plans to open an embassy, Carney said
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Canada is “at a disadvantage” in countries like Iran where it does not have a diplomatic presence, but his government is not looking to renew ties with Tehran, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday.
“An engagement is not an endorsement. Having an embassy, having diplomatic services in a country does not mean that we agree with that country’s policies,” Carney told reporters during a news conference.
Commenting on the deadly earthquake in Venezuela, Carney said not having ambassadors on the ground in Caracas makes it difficult for Ottawa to provide assistance to Canadians.
“There are a number of countries that we disagree with, to put it mildly, where we don’t have representation. Iran, Venezuela. [are] two examples. There are others,” he said.
“That puts us at a disadvantage, first of all, in helping Canadians in these countries,” he said, adding that in some consular situations Ottawa relies on countries that are “not our natural allies” to help Canadians get out of Iran.
This week, a diaspora group called the Iranian Justice Collective said it had heard the Carney administration intends to restore diplomatic ties with Iran and reopen embassies in Tehran and Ottawa.
The group disputes this theory and will not name the source of its information.
Carney said the government is not talking about restoring relations with Iran.
“We have not had any discussions. I am making a general point,” he said.
Global Affairs Canada wrote in a statement earlier this week that it “is not currently considering reopening the embassy in Iran” and that discussions with Iran are limited to diplomatic issues, human rights and nuclear non-proliferation.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said in February that “regime changes will be required” before Canada can restore relations with Iran, which were severed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government in 2012.
Iran’s embassy in Ottawa has been empty since then. It has become the site of repeated anti-government protests and occasional acts of vandalism.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said on Thursday that he does not support the reopening of diplomatic relations with Iran.
“This is a terrorist regime that killed our people,” he said, citing international pressure and the destruction of a plane carrying many Canadians in early 2020.
Canadian politicians told Parliament in March that Ottawa is looking to restore a diplomatic presence in Venezuela — but only if it is certain its jobs will be protected there. Politicians told a Senate committee earlier this month that the government is still looking to restore full relations with Venezuela.
Canada and Venezuela have not officially cut ties, but Ottawa closed its embassy in Caracas in June 2019 after Venezuela refused to renew expiring diplomatic visas.
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The Trudeau government made Canada one of the most prominent international supporters of Venezuela’s opposition leaders after an election that was seen as rigged.
Poilievre said Canada should not provide “support, diplomatic, economic or otherwise,” to the current Venezuelan government.
In March, diplomats testified that Canada has no plans to reopen its embassy in Syria. They said Ottawa is likely to do that if more Canadian tourists or companies start showing interest in Syria.
Canada re-established diplomatic ties with Syria last year, following the overthrow of the Assad dictatorship.
