The decision follows discussions between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last November on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum in Bangkok, the statement added.
“It has been decided to restore the level of diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia to its previous level,” Canada foreign ministry said in a statement, which also announced the restoration of relations.
Canada’s relations with Saudi Arabia nosedived in 2018 after officials in Ottawa accused the kingdom of human rights violations and demanded the release of imprisoned activists.
Saudi Arabia responded by freezing new trade and investment deals, suspending flights to Canada, reassigning students studying there and expelling Canada’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, while recalling its own. The response at the time had struck some observers as a disproportionate overreaction to a relatively routine criticism of the country’s human rights record.
