Carney to Visit Saudi Arabia for First Meeting With Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

By Tahani Elghazaly
Published July 1, 2026

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to Saudi Arabia from July 8 to 10, 2026, for a bilateral visit that will include his first in-person meeting with Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office. The Saudi stop will follow Carney’s participation in the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, Türkiye, scheduled for July 6 to 8.

The visit carries particular diplomatic significance because it will be the first trip to Saudi Arabia by a Canadian prime minister in 26 years. The Prime Minister’s Office said the meeting is expected to focus on deepening the Canada-Saudi partnership across energy, critical minerals, defence, infrastructure and investment.

According to the official Canadian statement, the two sides will also look at expanding trade, promoting two-way investment and advancing cooperation in priority sectors including mining, artificial intelligence, clean technology, agriculture, tourism, infrastructure and life sciences. Saudi Arabia is Canada’s second-largest trading partner in the Gulf region, with bilateral trade totalling $3.5 billion in 2025, the statement added.

The planned meeting builds on previous contacts between Carney and the Saudi crown prince. In an April 29 readout, the Prime Minister’s Office said the two leaders had discussed the situation in the Middle East, as well as cooperation in energy, agri-food, critical minerals, defence and aerospace. Carney also thanked Saudi Arabia for helping transport more than 300 Canadians affected by the regional crisis.

The visit also comes after years of efforts to rebuild Canada-Saudi relations following the diplomatic rupture of 2018. Reuters reported in 2025 that Carney and Mohammed bin Salman had discussed energy security, deeper bilateral trade and the need for sustainable peace in the Middle East, reflecting the gradual return of high-level communication between Ottawa and Riyadh.

For Ottawa, the trip reflects a broader attempt to diversify Canada’s economic and security partnerships at a time of growing global competition over energy, defence supply chains, critical minerals and artificial intelligence. For Riyadh, it offers another opportunity to strengthen ties with a G7 country as Saudi Arabia continues to expand its international investment, technology and infrastructure partnerships.