In a significant development on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held discussions with his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney. This meeting was their first in-person interaction since the Canadian elections. The focus of the discussion was to rebuild the relationship between India and Canada and agreeing on actions to foster stability.
The discussions centered on the current state of India-Canada relations, paving the way for future collaborations. The leaders acknowledged the significance of the relationship, built on shared democratic values and mutual respect. They acknowledged the importance of a balanced approach, focusing on respect, strong people-to-people ties, and growing economic complementarities.
A major outcome of the meeting was the agreement to reinstate stability in the relationship, beginning with the immediate return of High Commissioners. The leaders also emphasized the necessity of restarting engagements across different domains to rebuild trust and accelerate progress.
Areas of potential cooperation like clean energy, digital transformation, AI, and critical minerals were discussed. They reiterated their interest in an open Indo-Pacific. Also, they discussed restarting negotiations on the Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA) leading to the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The leaders agreed to work further on these issues.
Both leaders reflected on the progress made at the G7 Summit and their willingness to tackle global concerns such as climate change and sustainable development. They acknowledged the robust people-to-people links between the two countries and the need to strengthen them. The recent developments address earlier tensions arising from the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.