Canada's Carney calls Türkiye, Saudi Arabia 'most influential' in Mideast

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday highlighted Türkiye and Saudi Arabia as the “most influential” countries in crafting potential solutions to the Middle East’s conflicts, defending his government’s strategy of direct engagement rather than public criticism. Speaking to reporters in Jeddah, Carney described the two nations as central to regional diplomacy and said Canada’s approach prioritizes dialogue with key players over remote condemnation.

Engagement over criticism

Carney stressed the importance of working directly with regional powers, noting that Canada “cared deeply about the Middle East” but that public rebuke is not an effective tool for achieving results. “We need to engage with these countries. We need to be speaking with them. We need to work with them,” he said, while acknowledging that such engagement does not imply agreement with all policies. He argued that “lecturing countries from afar is an ineffective strategy,” adding that “it's satisfying, but it's ineffective. Engagement can be effective.”

Direct dialogue yields results

Carney said he raised outstanding issues with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his visit to Ankara and credited direct dialogue for a favorable outcome that would not have been possible from Ottawa. He also reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to human rights, national self-determination and territorial integrity, while pointing to the need for diversification in Canada’s international partnerships, citing overreliance on the US as a key driver of its current diplomatic push. His remarks underscored Türkiye’s growing role as an indispensable regional actor, recognized even by non-NATO allies.