Canada–Egypt relations

Last updated
Canadian-Egyptian relations
Canada Egypt Locator.png
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg
Canada
Flag of Egypt.svg
Egypt

Canadian-Egyptian relations are foreign relations between Canada and Egypt. Both countries established embassies in their respective capitals in 1954. Canada has an embassy in Cairo. Egypt has an embassy in Ottawa and a Consulate-General in Montreal. Though both had been part of the British Empire, only Canada is part of the Commonwealth, Egypt is not.

Contents

History

Canada and Egypt first established diplomatic ties in 1954 after the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 and the abdication of the Egyptian monarchy, thus creating the Republic of Egypt under President Jamal Abdel Nasser. [1] They both established embassies in their respective capitals, a Canadian one in Cairo and with the Egyptian Embassy located in Ottawa. The two countries enjoyed good relations, but did not take prominence to one another until Canada intervened in The Suez Crisis of 1956 when Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal and in response France, The United Kingdom and Israel took military actions against Egypt. [2]

Canada decried the actions taken by France, the UK and Israel against Egypt and after the end of hostilities the Canadian Minister of External Affairs Lester B. Pearson proposed that the United Nations create a United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF), whose mission was to enter Egyptian territory and act as a buffer between Egyptian forces and Israeli forces in occupied territory. [3] Canada pledged a substantial number of troops to the UNEF mission. On May 16, 1967 Egypt ordered all UNEF forces out of Egyptian territory, and most had retreated before the beginning of the Six-Day War. [4]

Canada provided aid to Egypt. Official development assistance (ODA) from Canada to Egypt is estimated 17m US dollars in 2010-2011. Aid has been targeted at micro-finance, helping private sector growth in small enterprises, funding for apprenticeships, training, and literacy. [5]

The word "coup" appeared in the title of a 2013 article posted on the Canadian government's website reporting on a statement made by then-Foreign Minister John Baird regarding the removal from office of short-ruled Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 following mass protests against his rule. [6] However, Baird himself did not use the term to describe Morsi's removal from office, and he neither condemned it nor called for Morsi's rule to be restored. [7]

In October 2023, Egypt revoked visa-on-arrival and e-Visa eligibility for Canadian citizens, citing reciprocity in response to the alleged arbitrary denial of Canadian visas for Egyptian citizens. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of Egypt</span>

The Foreign relations of Egypt are the Egyptian government's external relations with the outside world. Egypt's foreign policy operates along a non-aligned level. Factors such as population size, historical events, military strength, diplomatic expertise and a strategic geographical position give Egypt extensive political influence in the Middle East, Africa, and within the Non-Aligned Movement as a whole. Cairo has been a crossroads of the Arab world's commerce and culture for centuries, and its intellectual and religious institutions are at the center of the region's social and cultural landmarks.

The history of Egypt has been long and wealthy, due to the flow of the Nile River with its fertile banks and delta, as well as the accomplishments of Egypt's native inhabitants and outside influence. Much of Egypt's ancient history was unknown until Egyptian hieroglyphs were deciphered with the discovery and deciphering of the Rosetta Stone. Among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the Great Pyramid of Giza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gamal Abdel Nasser</span> Egyptian politician (1918–1970)

Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was an Egyptian military officer and politician who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 and introduced far-reaching land reforms the following year. Following a 1954 attempt on his life by a Muslim Brotherhood member, he cracked down on the organization, put President Mohamed Naguib under house arrest and assumed executive office. He was formally elected president in June 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suez Crisis</span> 1956 British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt

The Suez Crisis or the Second Arab–Israeli War, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and as the Sinai War in Israel, was a British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. Israel invaded on 29 October, having done so with the primary objective of re-opening the Straits of Tiran and the Gulf of Aqaba as the recent tightening of the eight-year-long Egyptian blockade further prevented Israeli passage. After issuing a joint ultimatum for a ceasefire, the United Kingdom and France joined the Israelis on 5 November, seeking to depose Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser and regain control of the Suez Canal, which Nasser had earlier nationalised by transferring administrative control from the foreign-owned Suez Canal Company to Egypt's new government-owned Suez Canal Authority. Shortly after the invasion began, the three countries came under heavy political pressure from both the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as from the United Nations, eventually prompting their withdrawal from Egypt. Israel's four-month-long occupation of the Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula enabled it to attain freedom of navigation through the Straits of Tiran, but the Suez Canal itself was closed from October 1956 to March 1957. The Suez Crisis led to international humiliation for the British and the French in the wake of the Cold War, which established the Americans and the Soviets as the world's superpowers. It also strengthened Nasser's standing.

According to most scholars the history of modern Egypt dates from the start of the rule of Muhammad Ali in 1805 and his launching of Egypt's modernization project that involved building a new army and suggesting a new map for the country, though the definition of Egypt's modern history has varied in accordance with different definitions of modernity. Some scholars date it as far back as 1516 with the Ottomans' defeat of the Mamlūks in 1516–17.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Emergency Force</span> 1956 UN peacekeeping force in Egypt

The United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) was a military and peacekeeping operation established by the United Nations General Assembly to secure an end to the Suez Crisis of 1956 through the establishment of international peacekeepers on the border between Egypt and Israel. Approved by resolution 1001 (ES-I) of 7 November 1956, UNEF was developed in large measure as a result of efforts by UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld and a proposal from Canadian Minister of External Affairs Lester B. Pearson, who would later win the Nobel Peace Prize for it. Although armed, UNEF soldiers were instructed to use their weapons only in self-defence and with maximum restraint. UNEF was deployed along Sinai and Gaza until May 1967, when Egypt requested UNEF to withdraw its forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egypt–United States relations</span> Bilateral relations

Egypt and the United States formally began relations in 1922 after Egypt gained nominal independence from the United Kingdom. Relations between both countries have largely been dictated by regional issues in the Middle East such as the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and Counterterrorism. But also domestic issues in Egypt regarding the country's human rights record and American support for the regimes of Hosni Mubarak and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi which the United States had come under controversy for in the aftermath of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, and with many dissents of the current regime describing Sisi's rule as tyrannical.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egypt–Russia relations</span> Bilateral relations

Egypt–Russia relations are the bilateral relations between Egypt and Russia. Diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Egypt were established on August 26, 1943. Egypt has an embassy in Moscow, while Russia has an embassy in Cairo and a consulate-general in Alexandria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egypt–Turkey relations</span> Bilateral relations

Egypt and Turkey are bound by strong religious, cultural and historical ties, but diplomatic ties between the two have remained extremely friendly at times and extremely strained at others. For three centuries, Egypt was part of the Ottoman Empire, whose capital was Istanbul in modern-day Turkey, despite governor of Egypt, Muhammad Ali, waging war against the Ottoman sultan, Mahmud II, in 1831.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egypt–Israel relations</span> Bilateral relations

Egypt–Israel relations are foreign relations between Egypt and Israel. The state of war between both countries which dated back to the 1948 Arab–Israeli War culminated in the Yom Kippur War in 1973, and was followed by the 1979 Egypt–Israel peace treaty a year after the Camp David Accords, mediated by U.S. president Jimmy Carter. Full diplomatic relations were established on January 26, 1980, and the formal exchange of ambassadors took place one month later, on February 26, 1980, with Eliyahu Ben-Elissar serving as the first Israeli Ambassador to Egypt, and Saad Mortada as the first Egyptian Ambassador to Israel. Egypt has an embassy in Tel Aviv and a consulate in Eilat. Israel has an embassy in Cairo and a consulate in Alexandria. Their shared border has two official crossings, one at Taba and one at Nitzana. The crossing at Nitzana is for commercial and tourist traffic only. The two countries' borders also meet at the shoreline of the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egypt–Iraq relations</span> Bilateral relations

Egypt–Iraq relations have varied over time, alternating from cooperation to rivalry over time. The modern relationship between Iraq and Egypt soured in 1977 when the two nations broke relations with each other following Egypt's peace accords with Israel. In 1978, Baghdad hosted an Arab League summit that condemned and ostracized Egypt for accepting the Camp David accords. However, Egypt's strong material and diplomatic support for Iraq in its war with Iran led to warmer relations and numerous contacts between senior officials, despite the continued absence of ambassadorial-level representation. Since 1983, Iraq has repeatedly called for the restoration of Egypt's "natural role" among Arab countries. In January 1984, Iraq successfully led Arab efforts within the OIC to restore Egypt's membership.

The History of Republican Egypt spans the period of modern Egyptian history from the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 to the present day, which saw the toppling of the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, the establishment of a presidential republic, and a period of profound economic, and political change in Egypt, and throughout the Arab world. The abolition of a monarchy and aristocracy viewed widely as sympathetic to Western interests, particularly since the ousting of Khedive Isma'il Pasha, over seven decades earlier, helped strengthen the authentically Egyptian character of the republic in the eyes of its supporters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egypt–United Kingdom relations</span> Bilateral relations

Egypt–United Kingdom relations are the diplomatic, economic, and cultural relationships between Egypt and the United Kingdom. Relations are longstanding. They involve politics, defence, trade and education, and especially issues regarding the Suez Canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egypt–France relations</span> Bilateral relations

Egypt–France relations, also known as Egyptian–French relations, are the bilateral relations between Egypt and France. Relations between the two countries have spanned centuries, from the Middle Ages to the present day. Following the French occupation of Egypt (1798-1801), a strong French presence has remained in Egypt. Egyptian influence is also evident in France, in monuments such as the Luxor Obelisk in Paris. The relationship is also marked by conflicts like the Algerian War (1954-1962) and the Suez Crisis (1956). As of 2020, relations are strong and consist of shared cultural activities such as the France-Egypt Cultural Year (2019), tourism, diplomatic missions, trade, and a close political relationship. Institutions like the Institut d’Égypte, the French Institute in Egypt and the French University of Egypt (UFE) also aid in promoting cultural exchange between Egypt and France.

The Six-Day War was fought between June 5 and June 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. The origins of the war include both longstanding and immediate issues. At the time of the war, the earlier foundation of Israel, the resulting Palestinian refugee issue, and Israel's participation in the invasion of Egypt during the Suez crisis of 1956 continued to be significant grievances for the Arab world. Arab nationalists, led by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, continued to be hostile to Israel's existence and made grave threats against its Jewish population. By the mid-1960s, relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors had deteriorated to the extent that a number of border clashes had taken place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egypt–Palestine relations</span> Bilateral relations

Egypt–Palestine relations are the bilateral relations between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the State of Palestine. Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser was a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause and he favored self-determination for the Palestinians. Although the Egyptian government has maintained a good relationship with Israel since the Camp David Accords, most Egyptians strongly resent Israel, and disapprove of the close relationship between the Israeli and Egyptian governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egypt–Iran relations</span> Bilateral relations

Following the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, Iran appointed its first ambassador to Egypt in almost 30 years. Despite oft-wavering tensions between the two countries, they share membership in the OIC, the BRICS and the Developing 8.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egypt–Saudi Arabia relations</span> Bilateral relations

Historically, relations between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia could be considered as extending several centuries back to the relations between earlier regimes in Egypt – the highly autonomous Egypt Eyalet in the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Egypt – and the earlier manifestations of Saudi/Wahhabi power in the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi Arabia and Egypt are both highly influential countries in the Arab world. Egypt is the most populous Arab country, and Saudi Arabia is a member of the G20. According to a 2013 Pew global opinion poll, 78% of Egyptians express a favourable view of Saudi Arabia, and 19% express an unfavourable view.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egypt–Syria relations</span> Bilateral relations

Egypt–Syria relations refers to the bilateral relations between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Syrian Arab Republic. Egypt has an embassy in Damascus. Syria has an embassy in Cairo. Both countries are members of the Arab League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Egyptian coup d'état</span> Military coup overthrowing Mohamed Morsi

The 2013 Egyptian coup d'etat took place on 3 July 2013. Egyptian army chief General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi led a coalition to remove the democratically elected President of Egypt Mohamed Morsi from power and suspended the Egyptian constitution of 2012. The move came after the military's ultimatum for the government to "resolve its differences" with protesters during widespread national protests. The military arrested Morsi and Muslim Brotherhood leaders, and declared Chief Justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court Adly Mansour as the interim president of Egypt. The announcement was followed by demonstrations and clashes between supporters and opponents of the move throughout Egypt.

References

  1. Hilliker, John; Barry, Donald (1995). Canada's Department of External Affairs: Coming of Age, 1946-1968. (Institute of Public Administration of Canada) McGill-Queen's University Press. p. 98. ISBN   0-7735-0738-8 . Retrieved 2011-02-02.
  2. Hillmer, Norman (1999). Pearson: the unlikely gladiator. McGill-Queen's University Press. p. 26. ISBN   0-7735-1768-5.
  3. Chandra, Satish; Chandra, Mala (2006). International conflicts and peace making process: role of the United Nations (1st ed.). Mittal Publications. p. 29. ISBN   978-81-8324-166-3 . Retrieved 2011-02-02.
  4. "Canada-Egypt Relations". Government of Canada. 2010-06-11. Archived from the original on 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2011-02-02.
  5. "Canada's development assistance in Egypt". Acdi-cida.gc.ca. 2016-08-16. Archived from the original on 2014-03-05. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  6. "Canada Calls for Calm after Egyptian Coup". International.gc.ca. 2013-07-05. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  7. "Egyptian ambassador lauds 'prudent' diplomatic stance by Canada in wake of coup | National Post". News.nationalpost.com. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  8. Hassan, Yasmine (August 30, 2023). "Egypt imposes new restrictions on Canadian travellers".{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)