French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Saint Pierre and Miquelon on Sunday, where he is expected to meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during a trip that highlights France's sovereignty over its small North American territory.
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The visit comes weeks after US President Donald Trump shared an image on social media showing the archipelago covered by the American flag. Macron's trip is the first by a French president to the territory since Francois Hollande visited in 2014.
Saint Pierre and Miquelon lies off Canada's Atlantic coast and is France's only remaining territory in North America. French officials say Macron's visit will underline the territory's place within France while also highlighting the country's close ties with Canada.
Why the tiny territory matters
Despite having only about 5,800 residents, Saint Pierre and Miquelon has strategic importance because of its location in the North Atlantic, close to the United States and the Arctic.
"For a territory of 5,800 inhabitants, it is rare to find so many issues that are important for France as a whole concentrated in a place of this size: France's geostrategic presence in the North Atlantic, at the doorstep of the United States and the Arctic, maritime sovereignty, adaptation to climate change; and cooperation with Canada," a French presidency official told reporters.
Macron's visit comes as relations between Washington and its traditional allies have become more strained under Trump. The US president's social media post showed a map of the US, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean under the American flag, with Saint Pierre and Miquelon and several French Caribbean territories also included.
France did not publicly respond to the post at the time.
Trade ties face hurdles
Closer EU-Canada integration could nevertheless face obstacles. The two sides signed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, known as CETA, more than a decade ago, and it has been provisionally applied since 2017.
However, several EU member states have still not ratified the agreement, including France.
Macron's visit therefore comes at a time when France is seeking to reinforce its North Atlantic presence while Canada looks towards Europe amid continuing trade tensions with the United States.
Macron, Carney to discuss closer ties
Macron and Carney are expected to discuss the energy crisis as well as Canada's growing relationship with the European Union.
The EU has opened the possibility of making Canada its first associate member, a step that could bring Ottawa closer to the bloc without making it a full member.
The two leaders are expected to discuss the implications of that closer relationship as Macron travels to New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly.
