19 Apr 2024
Monday 15 May 2017 - 11:14
Story Code : 259601

Why Canada cancels reopening of its embassy in Tehran?

Why Canada cancels reopening of its embassy in Tehran?
May 4, The Iran Project - A delay in the reopening of the Canadian Embassy in Iran which was slated to be happened in April 2017 and the possibility of voting Iranians living in that country for the current President Hassan Rouhani in the upcoming presidential elections is considered as a plunge daggered into Rouhanis back.

Because it seems that most of the voters in Canada would vote to President Rouhani in the forthcoming presidential elections.

This is while the reopening of the embassy and normalizing of relations is deemed as an effective leverage in the elections which is now far-fetched for incumbent Iranian president.

During the last year of former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejads tenure Iran-Canada relations suffered a serious break.

Canada cut its ties with Tehran on September 7, 2012. Five Canadian diplomats left Iran and closed the embassy in a sudden move.

At that time, the Conservative government of Canada under the influence of Zionists lobbies and the international pressure on Iran suddenly closed its embassy in Tehran on the pretext of insecurity for its diplomats. The move faced with opposition of Canadas foreign policys veterans.

Embassy secretly closure

Ironically, Canada did the measure unobtrusively and without informing the Iranian authorities; but the Iranian officials were somehow informed from the endeavors of Ottawa to close its embassy in Tehran and did not take the measure seriously or in case of take the move serious could not do anything in that end.

A few months ago one of the Canadian media released a partly fictional story of the efforts made to close Ottawa embassy in Tehran without informing the Iranian authorities.

Trudeaus efforts to solve problems

At that time, Ottawas stance was in line with the hawkish Israeli-American policies and the country did not change its stance even after the historic nuclear agreement clinched between Iran and P5+1.

When the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came to power, Ottawas viewpoint changed toward Tehran.

Trudeau reiterated his desire to see Canadas embassy reopen in Tehran, but said that re-establishing relations with Iran is a long process that is just beginning.

Undoubtedly the large numbers of educated and wealthy Iranians immigrants living in Canada have had effective role in changing Ottawa stance regarding Tehran and the Canadian PMs attitude for possibility of establishing new relationship with Iran.

Efforts went beyond the letter when the foreign ministers of both countries met several times and reviewed the problems of dual citizens in both countries.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held talks with his Canadian counterpart Stphane Dion in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September 2016.

It was the first such meeting since the two countries cut political ties in 2012.

On Sept 2016, Iran says it has released an Iranian-Canadian academic, who had been imprisoned in Tehran since June for seeking to undermine security in the Islamic Republic, on humanitarian grounds.

"Homa Hoodfar, the retired professor of Canadian universities, who had been detained in Iran on certain charges, was released on humanitarian reasons such as [her] illness, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said.

Canceling the Embassies Reopening

The things went well and the foreign ministers of the two sides redoubled their efforts to reopen the embassy of two countries and the date for reopening of embassies was determined. April 2017 was set for reopening of the Iranian Embassy in Ottawa and the Canadian Embassy in Tehran.The Canadian government was planning to reopen its embassy in Tehran to promote relations and pave the way for wide-spread participation of Iranians living in Canada in the upcoming presidential elections.

A large number of Iranians living in Canada were also planning to participate in this election.The reopening of the Canadian embassy could provide a positive image of the ability of Iranian 11th governments foreign diplomacy against its competitors in the elections.

But in the last minute, the government of Canada refused to reopen its embassy in Tehran.

The Canadians pretext that was a direct intervention in Iran domestic policy was offensive.

Canada's Foreign Ministry announced that the country would not reopen its embassy in April and said Ottawa prefers to open its embassy in Tehran after the presidential election and consolidation of the Iranian government.

Suspension of economic ties

Iran's Foreign Ministry opposed the Ottawa measure. Now it seems that the Canadian move was aimed at targeting the upcoming Presidential elections in Iran, reducing the number of participants in the elections and declining President Rouhani votes.

Such excuses may temporarily cause an impact on the number of participants in the election. Certainly the Iranian government would give an appropriate response to Ottawas interfere in the countrys domestic affairs after the presidential election and one of them would be preventing the presence of Canadian businessman in the Iranian market before the reopening of Canada embassy in Tehran.
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