Carney 'welcomes' Iran peace progress as he arrives in France for G7 summit

undercoat government minister german mark Carney says Canada stands ready to facilitate reconstruct shipping in the Strait of Hormuz if an announced breakthrough in talks between Iran and the U.S. Comes to fruition.

Carney arrived in France for the G7 summit on Monday, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced an agreement had been reached to end the U.S.'s war with Iran.

Trump announced the deal Sunday and said he had authorized an end to the U.S. Blockade in the Strait of Hormuz — established after Iran had started its own blockade of most container ships passing through the critical trade corridor.

The president later said the strait wouldn't open until Friday, when the deal is officially signed.

Speaking to reporters on the tarmac in Ireland on Monday before flying to Geneva, Carney said he would have an opportunity at the G7 to see what Canada and other countries can do to help reinforce the reported deal.

Carney 'very much' welcomes progress seen in Iran-U.S. Deal

"Canada very much welcomes this progress," he said.

He told reporters the situation in the Middle East "underscores" the need to make commodity systems more resilient to the shocks a conflict can create. He said that conversation will take place at the G7 as well.

Carney met with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday in Paris.

He then spent the weekend in Ireland, meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin in Dublin before travelling to western Ireland, where he met with President Catherine Connolly and toured the village his grandparents emigrated from more than a century ago.

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Carney landed in Geneva mid-afternoon and travelled by helicopter to the summit site in Évian-les-Bains in the French Alps. He was greeted at the airport by several people, including Jean-Paul Lemieux, Canada's ambassador to Switzerland, and Canada's Ambassador to France Natalie Drouin.

Later Monday, the prime minister is scheduled to meet with President of the European Council António Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, before attending a working dinner on geopolitical and economic issues.

Carney and the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement on the deal between the U.S. And Iran on Monday.

"This is a moment of opportunity to restore regional stability and stabilize the global economy," says the statement.

The statement says it's "vital" that detailed negotiations are concluded and that the agreement is implemented rapidly and comprehensively.

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The leaders said they would support that effort.

They also said the Strait of Hormuz must be opened to shipping and they are committed to playing their part in achieving that through a "strictly defensive and independent mission to reassure commercial shipping and conduct mine clearance operations."

"Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon," the statement says. "We stand ready to work with the U.S., Iran and the (International Atomic Energy Agency) to this end. We are prepared to lift relevant sanctions in response to clear, verifiable steps by Iran on its nuclear program."

The leaders said they will work with the U.S., Iran and regional partners to "seize this moment, maintain momentum and achieve a long-term diplomatic settlement."

"We also reaffirm our full support to the stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon and the importance of a robust ceasefire," they said.

Israel has ramped up its military operations in Lebanon since the start of the war with Iran, seizing land and conducting bombings in an offensive that has killed 3,800 people and uprooted some 1.2 million others.

Carney said in his own statement on social media that Canada has insisted a durable ceasefire must ensure safe and unimpeded transit through the Strait of Hormuz and address the "pervasive threat" of Iran's nuclear program.

"As negotiations continue, we urge all parties to maintain good faith dialogue and refrain from escalation," Carney said.

While in Ireland over the weekend, the prime minister told Irish news outlet RTE that the war in Iran was "topic number one" at the G7, adding that the war in Ukraine is also a key issue.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to attend the summit.

Trump arrived in Geneva just after Carney. The leaders of Brazil, India, Kenya and South Korea are also set to participate.

While it's not known whether Carney will meet privately with Trump, Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are set to connect on the summit's sidelines.

Macron is hosting the summit — his last as head of state — under the theme of addressing economic imbalances.

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Carney told reporters in Ireland that artificial intelligence standards and regulation will also form part of the discussions.

France has said this summit will not end with a joint communiqué — a document that used to be issued at every summit but has been harder to produce in the face of growing geopolitical rifts. France says it will instead release a series of statements over the course of the summit.

Swiss and French authorities have deployed thousands of police to provide security for the three-day summit. Ahead of the gathering, authorities in Geneva blocked off roads, banned unauthorized gatherings and pledged financial support for businesses which could be hit by protests.

On Saturday, a flotilla of around 20 boats appeared on Lake Geneva off the coast of Évian displaying anti-G7 and pro-Palestinian banners. On Sunday, an afternoon march drew an estimated 20,000 protesters.

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Online safety for children will also be on the agenda at the summit.

Earlier this month, the Liberal government introduced an online harms bill that includes a plan to force social media companies to ban kids under 16 from their platforms. Bill C-34 would also regulate AI chatbots.

International support for age restrictions on social media has been mounting since Australia became the first country to introduce such a ban. Multiple countries, including Malaysia, Brazil, Indonesia, France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea, are introducing or are considering similar measures.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday that his government is also working to ban social media access for kids under 16.

The Liberal government is also set to introduce a new privacy bill this week that it has said will include protections for children's data. It's expected to include measures ensuring Canadians' data is not used for surveillance pricing.

The G7 includes Canada, France, the United States, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy. The European Union also participates in talks, though the bloc isn't counted in the group's name.

Reporter

Catherine Morrison is a reporter for The Canadian Press.

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