Canada Joins EPC Summit, First Non‑European Member
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- Canada will become the first non‑European country to attend an EPC summit, with Prime Minister Mark Carney joining the meeting in Yerevan, Armenia on Monday.
- Mark Carney says he aims to build a new network of trade and diplomatic alliances after the loss of U.S. markets under Donald Trump, and his attendance signals western support for Armenia’s distancing from Russia.
- The summit will discuss President Donald Trump’s plan to withdraw more than 5,000 troops from Germany over the next year and the economic impact of a prolonged U.S.–Iran conflict.
- Armenia is using the EPC host role to showcase strengthening links with Europe, pursue a peace agreement with Azerbaijan that could reopen borders with Turkey, and reduce reliance on Moscow.
- European Union officials, including enlargement commissioner Marta Kos, hope the subsequent Armenia‑EU bilateral summit will deliver extra funding for democracy promotion and visa liberalisation.
- Vladimir Putin warned that Armenia cannot belong to both the EU and the CSTO, underscoring the geopolitical stakes of Armenia’s shift toward Europe.
Why it matters: Canada gains a direct platform to forge trade ties beyond the United States, while Armenia secures western backing and potential EU funding as it moves toward a peace deal with Azerbaijan and reduces Russian influence; the EU expands its outreach in the volatile South Caucasus.
