Newly sworn in Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was due to meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday to discuss strengthening economic, commercial and defence ties between the two countries.

On Saturday, Carney’s office announced his first trip abroad since taking office would bring him to France followed by the United Kingdom, in an effort “to strengthen two of our closest and longest-standing economic and security partnerships.”

Carney and Macron were set to discuss bilateral ties as well as artificial intelligence (AI), according to the Canadian premier’s office.

The Elysee Palace said, in a statement published by French media, that the leaders would also discuss the war in Ukraine as well as international crises and “the projects at the heart” of the “strategic partnership” between the two countries.

The Elysee said that Macron and Carney would also discuss “major global issues, particularly with a view to the UN Ocean Conference set to take place in Nice from June 9-13.”

After his stop in Paris, Carney was due to head to London for talks with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, then to Canada’s Arctic territory of Nunavut, which encompasses over 2 million square kilometres and forms most of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

“My visit to France and the United Kingdom will strengthen trade, commercial, and defence ties with two of our strongest and most reliable partners, and my visit to Nunavut will be an opportunity to bolster Canada’s Arctic sovereignty and security, and our plan to unlock the North’s full economic potential,” Carney said ahead of the trip.