Macron to visit Saint Pierre and Miquelon to meet Carney — Euronews
French President Emmanuel Macron will visit the French overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon on Sunday, located about 20 kilometres from the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. There, he will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Euronews reports.
The sides plan to discuss the future of the archipelago, France's geostrategic presence in the North Atlantic, maritime sovereignty, and cooperation between Paris and Ottawa. The previous French president to visit this overseas collectivity was François Hollande, whose trip took place in December 2014.
France's presence in the region
The Élysée Palace said the purpose of the visit is to demonstrate France's presence in five oceans. France is represented in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, as well as in the Arctic through Saint Pierre and Miquelon and in the Southern Ocean.
The archipelago, located on the approaches to the Arctic, provides France with a significant exclusive economic zone and enables it to maintain a military presence there. The French Navy patrol vessel Fulmar is permanently based on the islands and is due to be replaced. The Élysée Palace calls the archipelago not a peripheral outpost, but a territory important to modern France.
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Cables, polar cooperation and energy
During the visit, they will also discuss sovereignty issues related to digital cables and connections between the archipelago and continental Europe, as well as space activities expected to receive further investment. Paris seeks to turn Saint Pierre and Miquelon into a rear base for polar cooperation with Canada, Denmark and Greenland.
A separate topic will be the socio-economic difficulties of the archipelago, whose population is shrinking. The article cites among the reasons the decline of the fishing industry after Canada's long-standing moratorium on cod fishing and the reduction of France's exclusive economic zone under a 1992 court decision. Due to rising sea levels, the village of Miquelon-Langlade, located on a narrow strip of sand only two metres above sea level, is being moved inland.
Macron and Carney may also discuss energy cooperation. France considers Canada a potential partner in securing European hydrocarbon supplies amid rising fuel prices caused by global conflicts and tensions around the Strait of Hormuz. Next week, the leaders are expected to continue talks in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
