Canada and the United Arab Emirates have put a row over aviation rights behind them, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Tuesday. "Yes, we went through a bit of a rough patch last year but I'm pleased to report that I see things going in an upward trajectory," Baird said after meeting with his UAE counterpart Sheik Abdallah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.
The minister said in a teleconference from the UAE they had several "good, positive, warm, and constructive" fence-mending talks. However, Baird did not detail any substantive changes to the bilateral relationship. The UAE last year threatened to impose new visa fees of up to $1,000 on visiting Canadians and closed a military base to Canadian use after Ottawa refused to allow the UAE's two national carriers more landing rights.