TWO YEARS after chill set in India-Canada ties over allegations of potential involvement of Indian government in the killing of pro-Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand arrived in New Delhi Sunday evening for the first visit as the Foreign Minister — in a step towards normalisation of ties.
She will meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
The visit comes almost four months after PM Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney met in Kananaskis, Canada, on the sidelines of the G7 leaders’ summit in June.
Prior to Anand’s visit, the two sides appointed their High Commissioners — they were recalled after the ties were impacted adversely last year.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on X said: “This visit will help build on the positive momentum in India-Canada relations by revitalising our bilateral mechanisms, deepening economic cooperation, and further strengthening the enduring people-to-people ties that anchor our partnership.”
New Delhi is Anand’s first stop of her three-nation tour, which will take her to China and Singapore as well. A statement by the Canadian government earlier said, “Today, the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced she will travel to India, Singapore and China from October 12 to October 17 to advance bilateral relations and cooperation with these countries as part of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy.”
During her visit to Delhi, it said, Anand will meet Jaishankar and Goyal, “as both countries move toward establishing a framework for strategic cooperation on issues such as trade diversification, energy transformation and security”.
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“Minister Anand will also travel to Mumbai…, where she will meet with Canadian and Indian firms working to support investment, job creation and economic opportunity in Canada and India,” the statement said.
Ahead of the tour, Anand said in a statement, “For Canada to be strong at home, we need strong, stable partnerships abroad. I am building bridges and increasing cooperation with India, Singapore and China. In line with Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, I will be working to advance efforts to position Canada as a trusted, reliable partner of choice for Indo-Pacific countries and their economies.”
