| New Delhi – India and Canada on Monday vowed to revive ties amid global economic uncertainty as the top diplomats met in New Delhi. After hosting Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said the two had “constructive discussions to restore and reinvigorate the mechanisms” required to advance their partnership. After hosting Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said the two had “constructive discussions to restore and reinvigorate the mechanisms” required to advance their partnership. The two nations “agreed on an ambitious cooperation roadmap,” he said through the US social media company X. Anand met PM Modi ahead of her talks with Jaishankar. In a social media post, Modi said he and Anand discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in trade, technology, energy, agriculture and people-to-people exchanges for ‘mutual growth and prosperity’. Modi conveyed to Anand that her visit to India would contribute to ongoing efforts to impart ‘new momentum’ to the bilateral partnership, an official readout said. It is learnt that the Indian side also flagged its concerns over activities of certain pro-Khalistan elements in Canada. The talks between the two leaders came as diplomatic relations between Canada and India began recovering from tensions over the alleged assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. Canada and India appointed new high commissioners to each other’s countries in August, following a meeting between their prime ministers at June’s G7 summit in Alberta, where they decided to restore full diplomatic services. A joint statement issued on Monday after the talks between the top diplomats described trade as the “cornerstone of bilateral economic growth and resilience.” The two sides also pledged to expand collaboration on global issues, including working to ensure more effective and inclusive multilateral institutions, the statement said. Both nations have recently suffered from US tariffs. On Monday, the Canadian foreign minister also said: “Canada and India are elevating the relationship between our countries, while maintaining our law enforcement and security dialogue and expanding our economic relationship.” The relations between India and Canada, which span over 75 years, were formally designated as a strategic partnership in 2018. Last year, the bilateral trade volume reached $23.66 billion. |
India-Canada to revive ties as top diplomats meet
