Saudi Arabia to suspend flight operations to and from Canada from August 13 amid diplomatic row
The government said it would call back all its students studying on scholarships in Canadian institutions.
Saudi Arabia’s national airline, Saudia, on Monday announced that it will suspend all direct flights to and from Toronto from August 13 amid an ongoing diplomatic row with Canada.
The Saudi Arabian government also announced it would call back all students sponsored by it at Canadian universities, colleges and schools, and suspend training, scholarships and fellowships to the country, reported Al Arabiya. Many of the students in Canadian educational institutions are sponsored by the King Abdullah scholarship programme, reported The Star. The scholarship covers tuition costs, flights and accommodation, as well as provides students a stipend.
Just got word that indeed Saudis are telling their students (16,000+) in Canada to return home. Scholarships will be rescinded. This is awful for these students, many who are not likely to be in Canada over the summer but now scrambling with what to do with their lives. Unjust!
— Bessma Momani (@b_momani) August 6, 2018
Saudi students, numbering more than 15,000, will be accommodated in study programmes in other countries with similar systems such as the United Kingdom or the United States, The Globe and Mail reported quoting an unidentified government official.
These moves come after Saudi Arabia expelled Canadian ambassador Dennis Horak and recalled its envoy from Ottowa after Toronto said it was “gravely concerned about the additional arrests of civil society and women’s rights activists in Saudi Arabia”.
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland expressed her concern over Horak’s expulsion. “Canada will always stand up for the protection of human rights, including women’s rights and freedom of expression around the world,” she said, according to BBC. “We will never hesitate to promote these values and we believe that this dialogue is critical to international diplomacy.”
On Friday, Global Affairs Canada, the department that manages the country’s diplomatic and consular relations, tweeted, “Canada is gravely concerned about additional arrests of civil society and women’s rights activists in Saudi Arabia, including Samar Badawi.” In another tweet, it urged Saudi authorities to immediately release them and all other peaceful human rights activists”.
Saudi Arabia accused Canada of interfering in its internal affairs and declared it would freeze all new trade and investments with the country. Ten percent of Canada’s crude oil import comes from Saudi Arabia and bilateral trade between the two countries is worth $3 billion a year, reported Al Arabiya.
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed Canada’s allegations were unfounded, the Saudi Press Agency reported. “The persons referred to were lawfully detained by the public prosecution for committing crimes punishable by applicable law,” the ministry said. “This also guaranteed the detainees’ rights and provided them with due process during the investigation and trial.”
“Any further step from the Canadian side in that direction [of alleged interference in domestic affairs] will be considered as acknowledgement of our right to interfere in the Canadian domestic affairs,” the ministry warned.