Jaishankar says India keen to advance ties with Canada

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday (October 13) said that India looks forward to advancing bilateral ties with Canada, as has been indicated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting with his Canadian counterpart Carney earlier this year. Jaishankar made the remarks while welcoming Canada's new Foreign Minister Anita Anand on her first official visit to India after taking charge.

‘Steady progress in Indo-Canada ties’

Speaking during the bilateral talks with Anand in New Delhi, Jaishnkar said that there has been steady progress in India-Canada bilateral ties over the last few months, adding that both sides were working to “restore and reinvigorate” the mechanisms required to take the partnership forward.

"India-Canada bilateral relations have been steadily progressing in the last few months. We are working to restore and reinvigorate the mechanisms necessary to advance our partnership. As Prime Minister Modi noted during his meeting with Prime Minister Carney in Kananaskis, India's approach is to move forward with a positive mindset,” said Jaishankar as quoted by ANI.

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On meeting between PM Modi and Anand

Elaborating further, Jaishankar pointed out that a meeting had taken place earlier in the day between Anand and PM Modi, where the Prime Minister outlined the vision of cooperation and how to realise it.

The External Affairs Minister said that wide-ranging discussions were being held between the two countries through talks between the National Security Advisors, the Foreign and Trade ministries.

Jaishankar said that India looks at Canada as a complementary economy and as another open society, adding that it was the basis for a sustainable and long-term cooperative framework.

"This morning you have met the Prime Minister, you have heard from him personally about our vision of cooperation and how best to realise it...So, when we look at Canada, we see a complementary economy, we see another open society, we see diversity and pluralism, and we believe that that is the basis for a close, sustainable and long-term cooperative framework,” he added.

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‘Revitalising India-Canada bilateral ties’

The Canadian Foreign Minister’s visit is aimed at revitalising India-Canada bilateral ties, the Ministry of External Affairs noted in an earlier statement. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that the visit aims to deepen partnerships across multiple domains, including economic cooperation, strategic dialogue, and people-to-people ties.

Anand arrived in Delhi on Sunday on an official visit and will also travel to Mumbai to engage with Canadian and Indian businesses fostering investment, job creation, and economic opportunities in both Canada and India, stated a MEA release.

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The backdrop

India and Canada have begun efforts to reset their relationship, with talks between their NSAs in Delhi signalling a renewed emphasis on counterterrorism, security cooperation, and collaboration on transnational crime.

The two governments aim to rebuild trust after a period of deep strain, particularly following conflicting accusations involving the 2023 killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. During the G7 summit in June, Prime Ministers Modi and Carney agreed on steps toward constructive engagement.