Canada’s foreign minister Anita Anand on Wednesday emphasised India’s importance as a “valuable partner” amid geopolitical uncertainty as she met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and external affairs minister S Jaishankar to strengthen ties in trade, energy and security.
Modi said on social media that he and Anand had a productive discussion on strengthening ties in trade, technology, security, energy, education and people-to-people exchanges. “Guided by our leadership and sustained engagement across government and industry, we are advancing our strategic partnership,” Jaishankar said in a social media post.
India dismissed the allegation as absurd and both sides resorted to a range of punitive diplomatic and other measures. India and Canada have focused on rebuilding bilateral ties, which plunged to their lowest point in recent years when former PM Justin Trudeau accused Indian government agents of involvement in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in September 2023.
Jaishankar and Anand welcomed the bilateral security dialogue between the National Security Advisers that was recently held in New Delhi, with senior officials from both sides reviewing progress in security and law enforcement cooperation, according to the Canadian readout. The two sides are also “committed to sustained engagement on security issues of mutual interest”, it said. The external affairs ministry said the two ministers had a “detailed exchange of views on enhancing security and defence cooperation, as well as expanding energy cooperation”.
Modi is expected to club his visit to Canada with trips to Belgium, for the signing of the India-European Union free trade agreement, and the US, to attend the G20 Summit.
Anand also said Canada looks forward to welcoming Modi in December – the first official word on the PM’s planned visit. “From Prime Minister [Mark] Carney’s visit earlier this year to the Team Canada Trade Mission underway, our renewed engagement reflects a growing ambition to turn shared priorities into lasting opportunities for both nations,” she said.
