Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Canada in December, according to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. This visit comes as both nations aim to finalize a trade agreement by the end of the year.
I very much look forward to hosting him,” Carney said at a news briefing on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. Commerce minister Piyush Goyal on Monday said that he concluded the fourth round of negotiations with Canadian international trade minister Maninder Sidhu in Mumbai. “We’re making good progress in our trade negotiations with India. It is an exceptionally important relationship, on many, many levels…He (PM Modi) will be visiting Canada around that time.
Carney said India-Canada trade negotiations were making “good progress” and described the bilateral relationship as “exceptionally important” on several fronts.
The trade negotiations are also being accompanied by efforts to strengthen investment ties. The timeline would depend on discussions with her Canadian counterpart Francois-Philippe Champagne, she added. In August, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India and Canada could complete an investment protection agreement by the end of 2026.
“Very productive discussions and both sides have resolved to fast-track negotiations,” Goyal said, adding that the next 90 days would be a “very defining period” for India-Canada relations. During her visit to Toronto, Sitharaman said the two countries would “try to finish the investor protection agreement by the end of this year”.
