Canada And India Agree To 'Ambitious' Road Map To Strengthen Ties

Swift News

Canada and India have agreed to a series of steps to strengthen bilateral ties, two years after their diplomatic rupture over the killing of a Canadian Sikh leader on home soil.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi on Monday morning, where the two countries agreed to a new roadmap for Canada-India relations.

“The ministers recognized that in the context of ongoing global economic uncertainty and rising geopolitical tensions, a strong and resilient India-Canada bilateral relationship is essential,” read a joint release.

As part of the agreement, the parties say they will soon begin ministerial-level discussions on bilateral trade and investment.

Co-operation on agriculture, science and technology, civil nuclear collaboration, artificial intelligence, critical minerals and energy were also named as priorities.

“Reviving this partnership will not only create opportunities for enhanced economic co-operation, but also help mitigate vulnerabilities arising from shifting global alliances, ensure more reliable supply chains and reinforce strategic stability in an increasingly complex international environment,” read the joint statement.

The joint partnership agreement is the latest in a series of steps both governments have taken to thaw an icy relationship that began after former prime minister Justin Trudeau stood in the House of Commons and accused the Indian government of being involved in the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C.

Nijjar was a prominent local leader in the Khalistan movement pushing for the creation of an independent Sikh state in India.

Trudeau, backed by security officials, alleged Indian diplomats were collecting information about Canadians and passing it on to organized crime members to attack Canadians.