Prime Minister Carney meets with leaders on the margins of the inaugural Mass of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV

CANADA, May 18 - Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, spoke with the prime ministers of Australia, Bulgaria, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Croatia, as well as the presidents of Israel, Ireland, Paraguay, and Nigeria, on the margins of the inaugural Mass of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV.

The Prime Minister underscored his new government’s mandate to diversify trade, build a stronger economy, and deepen commercial ties with partners. To that end, he welcomed partnership on shared priorities.

During his conversation with the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Carney reiterated the need for Hamas to release all hostages and stressed the imperative of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. He called for urgent, life-saving humanitarian aid to reach civilians and affirmed Canada’s support for a two-state solution. The Prime Minister and the President agreed that Hamas must lay down its weapons and have no future role in the governance of Gaza.