Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday called for broader diplomatic engagement with Iran, saying embassies do not amount to endorsement, one day after his Foreign Ministry told Iran International it was not considering reopening its embassy in Tehran.
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa after deadly earthquakes in Venezuela, Carney said diplomatic presence does not amount to political approval.
“Engagement is not endorsement,” he said, adding that embassies and consular services help governments respond faster in emergencies.
Carney said Canada had faced similar challenges during the war in Iran. “We’ve had to rely on allies and countries that also aren’t our natural allies to help us, particularly in Iran, to help get Canadians out."
“In my opinion, we must change the way we’re doing things,” Carney added, while cautioning that he was making a general point and that no decision had been made on restoring ties.
His remarks come despite earlier comments by Canada’s Foreign Ministry to Iran International that Ottawa’s policy toward Tehran had not changed.
The ministry said Canada maintains a Controlled Engagement Policy with Iran, limiting bilateral contacts to consular affairs, including issues related to the downing of Flight PS752, as well as human rights and nuclear non-proliferation.
“While we continually monitor opportunities in which diplomatic representation may be in the interests of Canadians, and noting that engagement is not endorsement, we are not currently considering re-opening an embassy in Iran,” the ministry told Iran International.
Canada closed its embassy in Tehran in 2012 and expelled Iranian diplomats from Ottawa after designating the Islamic Republic a state sponsor of terrorism. The absence of diplomatic ties has complicated consular support for Canadians in Iran, including members of Canada’s large Iranian diaspora.
Ottawa has since maintained what it calls a Controlled Engagement Policy with Tehran, limiting bilateral contacts to consular issues, the 2020 downing of Flight PS752, human rights and nuclear non-proliferation.
The absence of Iranian diplomatic representation in Canada has in turn forced more than 280,000 members of the country’s Iranian diaspora to handle consular affairs through the Islamic Republic’s Interests Section in Washington, DC.
