The two Michael released | ” Have a safe trip home “

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(Montreal) The two Michaels once again set foot on Canadian soil very early on Saturday morning, after more than 1,000 days of detention in China. Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou was greeted like a heroine at Shenzhen airport on Saturday after being released on Friday. Did Canada just witness a “prisoner swap”? Yes, say specialists.




Lila Dussault

Lila Dussault
Press

Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor traveled on a Canadian Army Challenger jet. They were greeted early Saturday morning at Calgary airport with a hug from Justin Trudeau, accompanied by Marc Garneau, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In a moment of emotion, the Prime Minister of Canada hugged the two former prisoners as they got off the plane. “A moment of joy that everyone wanted to savor,” said an official source on site to Agence France-Presse.

“Welcome back home, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. You have shown incredible strength, resilience and perseverance. Know that Canadians across the country will stay there for you as they always have been, ”also tweeted Justin Trudeau.

Recall that the two Canadians were accused of espionage and imprisoned in China since the end of 2018 under trying conditions. Their arrest followed that of Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver. The chief financial officer of Huawei, a Chinese telecommunications giant, was accused by the United States of fraud and violation of US sanctions against Iran. China has, however, always denied that there was a link between the two cases.

Family reunion

It was the Canadian ambassador to China, Dominic Barton, who personally announced their release to the two Canadians before accompanying them back to Canada, AFP reported.

PHOTO CHRIS HELGREN, REUTERS

Canada’s Michael Kovrig with his wife, Vina Nadjibulla (left), and sister, Ariana Botha, upon his arrival at Toronto Pearson Airport on Saturday

Businessman Michael Spavor reunited with his family directly at Calgary airport, while ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig took another plane to Toronto. Both were in good health.

“It’s wonderful, it’s fantastic to be back in Canada, and I’m so grateful to everyone who worked so hard to bring us home,” said Michael Kovrig when he appeared in front of the cameras in Toronto with his wife and sister. He said he would speak at greater length at a later date.

PHOTO CHRIS HELGREN, REUTERS

Former diplomat Michael Kovrig upon arrival at Toronto Pearson Airport

“I lack words to describe this incredible moment. He is finally there, after 1020 days, ”Mr. Kovrig’s wife, Vina Nadjibulla, said with emotion to the press shortly before the landing.

“Exchange of prisoners”

The swift return of the two Michael’s after the reparations agreement between the United States Department of Justice and the Meng Wanzhou camp – which resulted in the extradition process being withdrawn in Canada – surprised Margaret McCuaig -Johnston, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa.

“I expected it to take a few months. Basically, it was a prisoner exchange, ”she said in an interview with The Press. An opinion shared by the director of the Institute of International Studies of Montreal, François Audet.

What that tells us is that we cannot trust Chinese justice. I’m not saying it’s perfect here, but we still maintained the legal system throughout the proceedings.

François Audet, director of the Montreal Institute of International Studies

According to Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, this sends a worrying signal. “It tells other countries that if you do something that China doesn’t like, it will take your citizens hostage until you change. It’s a scary message. “

Hats off to diplomacy

“This blow was played with finesse”, believes François Audet, referring to the American and Canadian diplomatic negotiations “Within the negotiations which took place to free the leader of Huawei, there was surely a agreement to release, at about the same time, the two Canadians ”, estimates the specialist.

The presence of the President of the United States, Joe Biden, has a lot to do with it, in his opinion. ” With [Donald] Trump, we could never have hoped for an outcome like this, ”he analyzes. President Biden’s speech at the United Nations Summit on Tuesday, during which he said he did not want a “new cold war”, confirms, according to François Audet, that the United States has chosen the path of diplomacy.

“It helps to have President Biden in place, compared to Trump, because you never knew what he was going to do,” adds Margaret McCuaig-Johnston.

The two specialists also agree on another point: Canada has done well not to give in to political and public pressure to release Meng Wanzhou despite the judicial process, in order to respect the rule of law. “It’s almost a live movie making. Of course, there was enormous pressure, ”said François Audet.

“Canada was there when the time came, and it’s reassuring to see that,” the specialist believes.

Will the end of the worst political crisis between Canada and China lead to changes in the Canadian economy? “It is sure that this will improve the fluidity of commercial relations [avec la Chine], predicted François Audet, but tomorrow morning, that will not change anything. ”

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