French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting the tiny French territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, off the coast of Canada, where he is due to meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday (20 September).
The meeting comes at a sensitive moment for relations between Europe, Canada and the United States. It also carries a strong message about France's sovereignty over the remote archipelago.
It is Macron's first visit to Saint Pierre and Miquelon since taking office and the first by a French president since François Hollande travelled there in 2014.
Saint Pierre and Miquelon is a group of islands in the North Atlantic, around 20-25 kilometres from Newfoundland. It has fewer than 6,000 residents and is France's only remaining territory in North America.
For much of its history, France controlled large parts of what is now Canada and the United States. Today, Saint Pierre and Miquelon is a small but strategically important reminder of that history.
French officials say the territory also gives France a presence in the North Atlantic, close to Canada, the United States and the Arctic.
The French presidency has highlighted several issues tied to the islands, including maritime sovereignty, climate change, Arctic security and cooperation with Canada.
Macron's visit comes weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump shared an image on social media showing a map of North America and other nearby territories covered by the U.S. flag.
The image included Saint Pierre and Miquelon, as well as several French Caribbean territories.
France did not publicly respond to the post at the time. But Macron's decision to visit the archipelago, followed by a meeting with Carney, has given the trip added diplomatic significance.
The visit also comes as Washington's relationship with both Ottawa and European governments has become more strained.
Trump has criticised Canada's growing links with the European Union, particularly after Brussels opened discussions on a possible new form of closer association with Ottawa.
Carney has been pushing for a closer relationship between Canada and the EU as his government seeks to reduce its dependence on the U.S.
In a speech to the European Parliament this week, he called for a stronger strategic partnership between Canada and the EU. Areas under discussion include energy, critical minerals, defence, artificial intelligence (AI) and digital trade.
The EU has also raised the possibility of Canada becoming its first “associate member”. The idea is still at an early stage and has not established a legal model.
There are other hurdles, too. The EU-Canada trade agreement, known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), has been provisionally applied since 2017 but has still not been fully ratified by every EU member state.
Macron and Carney are expected to discuss energy security as well as closer economic ties. The issue has become more urgent as the global energy market faces disruption.
Macron said this week that France was working with Canada on trade in petroleum products and liquefied natural gas.
The Arctic is also becoming increasingly important. The region is seeing greater military, economic and strategic interest from major powers, while climate change is transforming its waters and access routes.
For France, Saint Pierre and Miquelon provides a small but significant foothold in the North Atlantic.
The timing of Macron's visit gives the trip a meaning far beyond the islands themselves. French officials have stressed that the visit is intended to reaffirm France's sovereignty and its long-standing relationship with Canada.
On Saturday, Macron also welcomed a new agreement involving the United States, Denmark and Greenland, saying it respected Danish sovereignty.
”I simply note that Danish sovereignty is respected, that international law is respected, and that this is what we were asking for. So it's a good thing,” Macron said.
He is travelling onwards to the United Nations General Assembly in New York after his visit to the archipelago.
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