Vinay Kumar
After nearly 2 years of diplomatic hostilities over the killing of a Khalistan separatist, India and Canada took the first step towards restoration of normalcy in ties as PM Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney agreed to an early return of high commissioners and resumption of stalled trade talks.In a bilateral meeting on the margins of the G7 summit, the leaders underlined mutual respect for concerns and sensitivities, people-to-people links and economic complementarities as the basis for a balanced relationship.India described the 40-minute meeting as positive and constructive with foreign secretary Vikram Misri saying the leaders agreed to take calibrated steps to restore stability, committing to resumption of senior-level trade talks, and ministerial and other working-level engagements across domains to rebuild trust.It is understood that India and Canada discussed their respective security concerns, like in the case of India the need for Ottawa to act against anti-India elements. However, this was done without making any noise about it in their accounts of the meeting, suggesting that both sides were keen to not allow the Khalistan issue to hijack what was the first meeting between the leaders.The Canadian readout did say that Carney discussed transnational crime and repression, a top priority for Canada at the G7 summit, but without any direct mention of the murder of separatist and Canadian national Hardeep Singh Nijjar that Carney’s predecessor Justin Trudeau had accused India of masterminding. A G7 statement on Tuesday strongly condemned transnational repression calling it an aggressive form of foreign interference. According to an Indian readout, 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,” it said. According to the Indian readout, the leaders 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). They agreed to task their respective officials to engage further in this regard, it said. Canada had pulled out of the talks in 2023 in the middle of strained ties. Ottawa’s readout had no mention of trade talks but said the leaders discussed significant commercial links between – including partnerships in economic growth, supply chains, and the energy transformation. Canada under Trudeau had last year “expelled” Indian high commissioner Sanjay Verma and several other Indian diplomats, forcing India to take similar action. India had maintained though that it was Trudeau and his vote-bank politics that was responsible for ruining the relationship. Both sides have already identified senior diplomats for the high commissioner’s job, and they are expected to take up their assignment shortly. As the Canadian readout said, this will ensure return of regular services to citizens and businesses in both countries. “The leaders underlined the deep people-to-people connections between the two countries and agreed to leverage this living bridge to the benefit of both countries,” said the Indian statement, adding India and Canada will work constructively together on global priorities such as climate action, inclusive growth, and sustainable development. Modi and Canada also reaffirmed their shared interest in promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific. Misri said that the leaders committed to resuming discussions on connectivity, people-to-people ties, and explored collaboration in clean energy, digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, food security, and critical mineral supply chains.
