PM Modi holds bilateral meetings with world leaders
Marking a return to normalcy in relationship, India and Canada on Wednesday agreed to designate new high commissioners in their capitals to return to regular services to citizens and businesses.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a series of bilateral meetings with his global counterparts, including Canada’s Mark Carney on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, on various issues, including trade, investment, counter-terrorism and global challenges.
According to a Ministry of External Affairs statement, PM Modi and PM Carney underscored the importance of restarting senior ministerial as well as working-level engagements across various domains to rebuild trust and bring momentum to the relationship. Underlining the deep people-to-people connections between the two countries, they agreed to leverage this living bridge to the benefit of both countries.
This was the first in-person interaction between the two leaders since Carney assumed office following Canada’s recent general elections.
The relations between the two nations went south following Canada’s allegations of Indian involvement in the killing of pro-Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar which New Delhi rejected as “absurd” and “motivated”. The G7 meeting provided an opportunity for both sides to hold frank and forward-looking discussions on the state of India-Canada relations and the way ahead, according to the MEA.
“The leaders reaffirmed the importance of India-Canada ties, based on shared democratic values, respect for the rule of law. and commitment to upholding the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“They underlined the need to pursue a constructive and balanced partnership grounded in mutual respect for concerns and sensitivities, strong people-to-people ties, and growing economic complementarities. In this regard, both sides agreed to take calibrated and constructive steps to restore stability in the relationship, beginning with the early return of High Commissioners to each other’s capitals,” it added
The leaders also discussed opportunities for future collaboration in areas such as clean energy, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, LNG, food security, critical minerals, higher education, mobility, and supply chain resilience.
They reaffirmed their shared interest in promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific.
They also discussed the importance of restarting the stalled negotiations on the Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA), with a view to paving the way for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and agreed to task their respective officials to engage further in this regard.
Both leaders acknowledged the important progress made at the G7 Summit and the shared willingness to work constructively together on global priorities such as climate action, inclusive growth, and sustainable development, the MEA stated.
