"I join other partners in welcoming the progress made toward peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the presence of Azerbaijani President Aliyev at the summit (via video link — ed.)." This was stated by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on May 4 at the plenary session of the 8th European Political Community Summit in Yerevan.

He called it fitting that Canada became the first non-European country to join the summit, as it is, in his words, the most European of non-European nations. "Our history is closely intertwined," Carney noted, reminding the audience that tens of thousands of Armenians live in Canada.

He affirmed that shared values define shared priorities, and assured that Canada consistently upholds these values — from its membership in the Coalition of the Willing as one of the largest per-capita investors in Ukraine, to its security partnerships with the Nordic countries, the United Kingdom, and Germany in the Arctic, as well as being the only non-European participant in the European mission in Armenia.

Carney noted that the world today is fractured on several fronts: in technology, energy, trade, and geopolitics, with integration being weaponized by some actors whose ambitions are unconstrained by rules.

"We must now accept the world as it is, not as we wish it to be. Today, the spheres of security and prosperity extend far beyond traditional domains of food, energy, and defense — from space communications to semiconductors, from digital sovereignty to critical minerals, from independent payment systems to clean energy and vaccines. Our strategic task is to build these sovereign capabilities with our most reliable partners, which creates enormous opportunities for cooperation between Canada and Europe," the Canadian Prime Minister added.

Carney emphasized that Canada is deepening its relationships with partners across the full spectrum — from digital technologies to defense, from supply chains to security — calling it an honor to be the first non-European country participating in this EU security initiative, and announcing that Canada has signed agreements worth $18 billion in critical minerals.

"We are an energy superpower: the third-largest producer of oil, the fourth-largest producer of natural gas. We are determined to provide our citizens and partners with reliable and affordable energy. In closing, I would also say that we are here because of the moral principles and security imperatives of our cooperation — in the Caucasus, in the Baltics, in Ukraine, across Europe — and because of the enormous potential of our partnership in building a better, more prosperous, resilient, and just world. I am firmly convinced that the international order will be restored," he concluded.