Canada`s conflict with UAE simmering for months
Baku, June 2 (AZERTAC). When it comes to understanding the escalating dispute between Canada and the UAE, one may need to look no further than this week`s tour of the Gulf by the country`s international trade minister, Peter Van Loan.
Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar were all on his itinerary as he boosted Canadian trade.
However, when Mr Van Loan held a news conference by telephone with Canadian reporters to discuss his trip, he was bombarded with questions about one country conspicuously absent from his tour - the UAE.
For months, the UAE appears to have been a low priority for Prime Minister Stephen Harper`s government. Now, Mr Harper`s minority government is being asked tough questions at home about how it allowed relations with one of Canada`s largest trading partners to founder. Insiders say the dispute that hit the headlines this week has been simmering for months.
The UAE is Canada`s largest export market in the region with an estimated C$1.3 billion (Dh4.7bn) in purchases annually, while its exports total $195.4 million. But the UAE could not get Ottawa to budge on its bid for more landing rights in Canada for Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways. Some Canadians, like Ed Stelmach, the premier of the oil-rich western province of Alberta, would like to see direct flights between cities such as Calgary and Dubai. Air Canada worries the two UAE airlines simply want more Canadian landing rights to grab a greater share of the international travel market.
On Sunday, the rift came out in the open when the UAE ambassador to Canada publicly expressed his frustration at the failure of negotiations for more landing slots. The rift widened as Canadian officials said they would likely close Camp Mirage in the UAE after an agreement between the two nations lapsed and a flight carrying Canada`s defence minister, Peter MacKay, was denied the right to land at the camp.
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