Canada's Carney First Non-European at Yerevan Summit

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will attend the European Political Community summit in Yerevan, Armenia, on May 4, becoming the first leader from outside Europe to participate in the event, European Council President Antonio Costa announced on social media.

Carney's office has not publicly confirmed the trip. The gathering brings together nearly 50 heads of state and government, including leaders from all 27 European Union countries, Britain, Norway, Switzerland, Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan and Montenegro. Discussions will center on strategic cooperation in politics, security and infrastructure.

The twice-yearly summits originated in 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Costa described Canada's involvement as a milestone. "Europe and Canada are more than just like-minded partners," he wrote on X. "Together we are building a global alliance to defend peace, shared prosperity and multilateralism."

Canada has deepened its engagement in the South Caucasus region amid rising tensions. The country opened an embassy in Yerevan in 2023 and participated in an EU civilian security mission as ethnic Armenians were displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijani...