Abu Dhabi crown prince visits Ottawa to meet Carney

OTTAWA – The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, begins an official visit to Canada on Monday to meet Prime Minister Mark Carney and press for deeper economic and security ties between the two countries, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

The visit runs Oct. 26 and 27 in Ottawa, according to a news release the Prime Minister’s Office issued Sunday. The Abu Dhabi Media Office also announced on X on Sunday that the crown prince would travel to Canada and meet Carney to discuss bilateral relations and ways to strengthen the strategic partnership, Dubai Eye 103.8 reported.

The Prime Minister’s Office said the two leaders will work to expand the partnership into defence and security, energy, critical minerals, infrastructure, international development, space and advanced communications technologies, and quantum and artificial intelligence.

Carney said the two countries have “enormous potential to deepen our economic and security ties,” according to the release. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said the partnership is entering “a new chapter,” with closer economic, diplomatic and security ties aimed at shared prosperity.

The visit follows a push by Ottawa to widen its trade and investment relationships. The Prime Minister’s Office said Canada and the United Arab Emirates negotiated a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in 47 days, and that a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement between the two countries came into force in May 2026.

The United Arab Emirates committed $70 billion in investment in Canada during Carney’s visit to the Gulf country in November 2025. International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu described that commitment as “a strong vote of confidence in our economy,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Trade between the two countries remains modest by comparison. The Prime Minister’s Office said two-way merchandise trade reached $3.5 billion in 2025, made up of $2.8 billion in Canadian exports and $679.1 million in imports. Canadian exports to the United Arab Emirates grew by more than 10 per cent that year, it said.

More than 150 Canadian companies operate in the United Arab Emirates, and an estimated 60,000 Canadians live and work there, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

The Prime Minister’s Office did not release a schedule of events for the visit, and it was not immediately clear whether any new agreements or investment announcements would follow the talks. Dubai Eye said the Abu Dhabi Media Office did not detail who is travelling with the crown prince.

The meeting comes days after Carney returned from his first visit to Turkey as prime minister, where Canada and Turkey agreed to a partnership and to start free trade talks. Our earlier reports on the Canada-Turkey partnership and Carney’s return from that trip have more on that visit. Trade with the United States remains the larger question for Ottawa, and U.S. economic adviser Kevin Hassett has said recently that a U.S.-Canada trade deal is “very close”.

Canada News Media will update this story after the talks.

Sources: Prime Minister’s Office news release, Oct. 25, 2026; Dubai Eye 103.8 (ARN News Staff), Oct. 25, 2026.

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