Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said the international order could be “rebuilt out of Europe” as he joined other world leaders at a major summit on the future of the continent.
Mr Carney is the first non-European leader to have been invited to a meeting of the European Political Community (EPC), held in Armenia’s Yerevan, which was held amid ongoing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and as questions hang over Donald Trump’s commitment to NATO.
Others in attendance included British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The gathering came just days after the US pulled 5,000 troops out of Germany and slapped a 25 per cent tariff on cars from the EU, which followed Mr Trump hitting out at German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for criticising the US war with Iran.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has criticised the US’s military actions in the Middle East, prompting a backlash from Donald Trump. (Reuters: Jonathan Ernst)
Echoing previous comments he made at the Davos summit earlier this year, Mr Carney said it was important like-minded nations stepped up to defend the “rules-based order”.
“The world is undergoing a rupture across several dimensions, in technology, in energy, in commerce and in geopolitics,” he told the EPC summit.
“We have to actively take on the world as it is, not as we wish it to be.
“We don’t think we’re destined to submit to a more transactional and insular world.“
Describing Canada as the “most European of non-European countries”, he said Canada would strive to deepen its relationship with Europe on issues such as the Ukraine war.
“We’re here because of the moral and security imperatives of our cooperation in the Caucuses, in the Baltics, in Ukraine, across Europe, and also because of the immense potential for our partnerships to build a better, more prosperous, sustainable and just world for our citizens,” he said.
“It is my strong personal view that the international order will be rebuilt, but it will be rebuilt out of Europe.”
UK, EU leaders urge solidarity
The comments come at a time when the relationship between Europe and the US is under strain, with Mr Trump increasingly critical of what he perceives as a lack of NATO support for American military operations in the Middle East.
NATO chief Mark Rutte admitted at the forum there had “been some disappointment on the US side” over Europe’s reluctance to get behind the Iran war.
But Europeans had “heard the message”, were now providing logistical support to US operations and pre-positioning “key assets close to theatre, for the next phase”, Mr Rutte told reporters.
A biannual political forum, the EPC was established on the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron, with the aim of discussing politics, security, energy, infrastructure, investment, and migration. It was set up in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
At the summit, Sir Keir told European partners there is “more tension” in some of their international alliances “than there should be, and it is very important that we therefore face up to this.”
“There needs to be a stronger European element in NATO, I have no doubt, about that.”
Ms von der Leyen, who has previously talked up European efforts to bolster defence in the face of Mr Trump’s hardening rhetoric on NATO, told the meeting the EU needed “more independence” in its security.
“We have to step up our military capabilities to be able to defend and protect ourselves,” she said.
Ukraine on the agenda
With Ukraine now in its fifth year of fighting Russian forces, leaders at the summit also discussed how to support Kyiv amid fears of less support flowing from Washington.
“This summer will be a moment when Putin decides what to do next, expand the war or move to diplomacy, and we must push him toward diplomacy,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the gathering.
“We are in contact with the United States and we understand their views and positions. But it would be good to develop one common European voice.”
He also reignited discussion about Ukraine potentially joining the EU, stating he hoped to begin negotiations for potential accession in the next two months.
“Technically, Ukraine is fully ready,” he told reporters.
ABC/wires
