(CNN) Saudi Arabia's state airline will suspend all flights to and from Toronto starting next week, amid a intensifying diplomatic row between the two countries following Canada's refusal to back down from comments in defense of human rights inside the Kingdom.

In her first public response to Saudi Arabia's actions Monday, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said , "Canada will always stand up for the protection of human rights, including women's rights and freedom of expression around the world."

The statement comes after Riyadh announced the expulsion of the Canadian ambassador and freezing of all new trade and investment with Canada, although it remained unclear to what extent the decision would impact the pre-exisiting multibillion-dollar economic relationship between Ottawa and Riyadh.

The spat began last week after the Canadian Foreign Ministry expressed concern over the arrests of activists in Saudi Arabia in a series of tweets.

On Monday the row appeared to take a bizarre turn, when the Saudi Ministry of Media ordered the shut down of a popular Saudi Twitter account owing to an inappropriate image shared in support of the country's decision to expel the Canadian ambassador.

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