Prime Minister Canovas, having just attended the funeral of Emperor Frederick III, quickly accepted the invitation from the French Government to travel to France for talks.
This discussion about canal navigation rights attracted participation from many countries, most of which had a demand for the canal.
Countries like Spain, France, Germany, Portugal, and the Netherlands all had vast colonies to the east or south of the canal, and communication between the colonies and the homeland relied heavily on the Suez Canal.
Russia could also be counted among them, as the Trans-Siberian Railway, connecting Russian European territories with Asian territories, was still incomplete. Russia's Far East required passage through the Suez Canal for the shipment and trade of goods with European homelands or other European countries, taking the route from Asia to Europe.
