French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney held talks Sunday on strengthening economic and security ties during a meeting on the remote North Atlantic archipelago of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon.
The meeting came days after Carney welcomed the possibility of Canada becoming the European Union's first associate member, saying stronger ties with Europe would help ensure that no country could control Canada's markets or undermine its sovereignty.
US President Donald Trump's tariffs, demands for economic concessions and repeated remarks about making Canada the 51st US state have prompted Ottawa to reduce its reliance on its southern neighbor and seek stronger economic, security and political ties with Europe.
Macron welcomed Carney at the airport on Sunday in the French territory, located off the coast of Newfoundland. The two leaders were scheduled to hold talks over a working lunch.
"This is an important moment," Macron said Saturday after arriving in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, which has about 5,800 residents.
The talks "will allow us … to strengthen our bilateral economic ties and defense relationship," Macron said.
Macron said the meeting is also part of broader efforts by France to secure oil and gas supplies as the war in Iran disrupts global energy markets and raises concerns over higher prices for fuel and other essential goods.
"Canada is a country with significant resources of critical minerals and rare earths. It is also a major oil and natural gas producer," Macron said. "What we want to do is conclude agreements to secure more liquefied natural gas that can be shipped to Europe's Atlantic coast."
The leaders were also expected to discuss expanding the Canada-France partnership in strategic sectors, including aerospace, energy, critical minerals and advanced technologies such as quantum computing, satellites and supercomputing, according to a statement from Carney's office.
Sunday's meeting also followed Trump's announcement of a deal on Greenland that would expand the US military presence there while keeping the island under Danish control.
The agreement came after months of threats by Trump to seize the semiautonomous territory, which is part of a NATO ally.
Macron welcomed the agreement Saturday.
"Danish sovereignty is being respected, international law is being respected," he said. "Anything that helps ease tensions is a good thing."