French President, Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney have announced plans to strengthen ties between France, Canada and the European Union amid strained relations with the United States.

The leaders made the announcement on Sunday during a meeting in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, France’s small territory off Canada’s Atlantic coast.

Macron said France and Canada would deepen cooperation in fishing, security and energy, while Carney proposed that France, Canada, the United States and China collaborate on artificial intelligence.

“We both believe that our countries are two great, independent nations who want to remain so,” Macron said at a joint news conference.

Carney said the time had come to strengthen relations with France and the European Union, following his recent visit to Brussels, where the EU offered Canada “associate member” status.

The meeting carried symbolic significance as Saint-Pierre and Miquelon is France’s only remaining territory in North America. It was also the first visit by a Canadian prime minister to the archipelago.

The meeting comes amid growing tensions between Canada and the administration of United States President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly spoken of making Canada the 51st US state. Ottawa has rejected the remarks.

Macron has also argued that Europe needs greater strategic autonomy, particularly in security, in response to changing international relations.

The French president said France and Canada shared common values, including freedom, democracy, the rule of law and respect for national sovereignty.

“The time has come to tighten our links between Canada and France, between Canada and the European Union, links based on the values we share,” Carney said.

Macron is on a three-day visit to Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, an archipelago of fewer than 6,000 people located near Newfoundland. It is his first visit to the territory as French president in more than a decade.