Saudi minister mocks Canadian demands for release of female activists
OTTAWA — The Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister threw cold water on hopes the diplomatic row between his country and Canada will come to an end on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly this week.
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said at a Council on Foreign Relations forum earlier this week that she hoped to use the meeting as a chance to speak in person with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, but insisted Canada’s fundamental stance to defend the rights of women’s advocates was not going to change.
A day later, in an interview with the same organization, al-Jubeir said the only way to end the impasse is for Canada to apologize.
“We did not do this, you did,” he said. “Fix it. You owe us an apology.”