Latest news with #CanadaIndia
Times of Oman
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Canada, India agree to resume diplomatic services, designate new High Commissioners
Kananaskis: India and Canada agreed to resume full diplomatic services, ending the thaw between the two countries, triggered by Canadian allegations that Indian agents were involved in the killing of NIA-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a gurdwara in Canada in 2023. At the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and both leaders agreed to designate new high commissioners, with a view to returning to regular services to citizens and businesses in both countries, according to a press release from the Prime Minister of Canada. Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed the importance of Canada-India ties, based upon mutual respect, the rule of law, and a commitment to the principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity. They discussed strong and historic ties between their peoples, partnerships in the Indo-Pacific, and significant commercial links between Canada and India -- including partnerships in economic growth, supply chains, and the energy transformation, read the release. Prime Minister Carney also raised priorities on the G7 agenda, including transnational crime and repression, security, and the rules-based order. The discussions on deepening engagement in technology, digital transition, food security, and critical minerals came even as India-Canada ties remain strained due to ongoing political tensions. India has repeatedly voiced concern over extremism and anti-India activities in Canada, urging Canadian authorities to act against such elements. Tensions escalated further when former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed that his government had "credible allegations" of India's involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in 2023. India has strongly denied the allegations, terming them "absurd" and "motivated," and has accused Canada of giving space to extremist and anti-India elements. In the aftermath, India recalled six diplomats from Canada after they were declared "persons of interest" by Canadian authorities investigating Nijjar's killing. Nijjar was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. The diplomatic rift between India and Canada has since widened, with Canada allegedly violating various international norms such as the Vienna Convention, and subjecting Indian diplomats to surveillance--against which the Ministry of External Affairs had lodged a formal protest with the Canadian government.
The Independent
18-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
India and Canada restore ambassadors as Modi and Carney look to turn page on assassination row
India and Canada are restoring ambassadors to each other's capitals as both countries appear content to move on from a diplomatic clash over the assassination of a Sikh activist on Canadian soil. Canadian prime minister Mark Carney and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi met on the sidelines of the G7 and agreed that the two nations will name new high commissioners, as ambassadors are known between Commonwealth nations. Mr Carney's office said they agreed to appoint new envoys to replace the ones both nations had withdrawn as the crisis grew. The decision has been taken 'with a view to returning to regular services to citizens and businesses in both countries,' the Canadian prime minister's office said in a statement. The meeting took place despite protests against Mr Modi's visit to the country by members of Canada's Sikh community. Sikh protesters tore up Indian flags in downtown Calgary on Tuesday and showed posters of the Indian leader handcuffed, in a prison jumpsuit or behind bars. New Delhi and Ottawa suffered a major breakdown in their bilateral relations in late 2023 after former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of direct involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh leader and Canadian citizen in British Columbia who advocated for the creation of a Sikh homeland – known as Khalistan – in India's Punjab region. The dispute between the two nations worsened in October last year when both countries expelled a number of high-ranking officials. India was sent a diplomatic communication suggesting that the Indian high commissioner and other diplomats were 'persons of interest' in Canada's investigation into Nijjar's death. Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, including India's high commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, and consular officials from the country 'in relation to a targeted campaign against Canadian citizens by agents linked to the Government of India', said Canada's foreign affairs department, Global Affairs Canada. The Indian foreign ministry retaliated by ordering the expulsion of six Canadian diplomats, including acting high commissioner Stewart Ross Wheeler, who was first summoned by India's External Affairs Ministry to protest Canada expelling Indian diplomats. Canada was forced to suspend in-person services at all missions in India outside its embassy in New Delhi. The Indian government has denied involvement in Nijjar's killing and accused Canada of providing a safe haven for Sikh separatists. Symbolically turning a page on nearly two years of diplomatic enmity, Mr Carney and Mr Modi met on Tuesday in the scenic resort town of Kananaskis in Alberta in the Canadian Rockies, where they said they held a productive first bilateral meeting and that the talks between them had gone well. Mr Carney said he hoped the meeting would "provide the necessary foundations to begin to rebuild the relationship, based on mutual respect, sovereignty, trust." "I would describe it as foundational – as a necessary first step, a frank, open exchange of views around law enforcement, transnational repression," he said, speaking to reporters at a news conference. Mr Carney also told Mr Modi that it was 'my great honour to have you here'. The Canadian leader eventually invited his Indian counterpart after mounting speculation in the Indian media that Mr Modi had been snubbed – in the event, Mr Carney said India was invited to attend due to its importance in global supply chains. "Had an excellent meeting... India and Canada are connected by a strong belief in democracy, freedom and rule of law," Mr Modi said on X during his first visit to Canada in a decade. India is Canada's top source of temporary foreign workers and international students, as well as an important market.
Al Arabiya
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
India and Canada to Restore Diplomatic Services Nearly Two Years After Killing of Sikh Separatist
India and Canada agreed to restore diplomatic services nearly two years after Ottawa accused New Delhi of alleged involvement in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader, which turned into a row straining relations between the two countries. The announcement was made after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, met Tuesday on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Kananaskis, Alberta. The leaders agreed to designate new high commissioners with a view to returning to regular services to citizens and businesses in both countries, a statement from Carney's office said. High commissioners are senior diplomats representing their country's interests and fostering relationships with the host nation. Modi and Carney reiterated the importance of a bilateral relationship based on mutual respect and a commitment to the principle of territorial sovereignty, according to the statement. They also discussed further collaboration in several sectors, including technology, digital transition, food security, and critical minerals. Meanwhile, India's foreign ministry underscored the importance of restarting senior ministerial engagements to rebuild trust and bring momentum to the relationship. Carney's predecessor, Justin Trudeau, shocked the world in September 2023 after announcing in Parliament there were 'credible allegations' about India's link to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar near Vancouver. New Delhi vehemently denied the allegations and accused Trudeau's government of harboring extremists. The Indian government had declared Nijjar a terrorist in 2020 under a law meant to suppress dissent. The Sikh independence advocate was a prominent member of the Khalistan movement, banned in India, to create an independent Sikh homeland. He was seen as a human rights activist by Sikh organizations. Ties between the two countries continued to worsen, and in October, India expelled Canadian diplomats and withdrew its high commissioner and other officials from Canada. Ottawa retaliated by dismissing Indian diplomats and accusing the Indian government of an 'intensifying campaign' against Canadian citizens–a charge New Delhi denied. India's anxieties about Sikh separatist groups have long strained its relationship with Canada, where some 2 percent of the population is Sikh. Modi Calls Trump. As Trump abruptly left the G7 summit, Modi had a detailed phone conversation with the US president and shared India's military response against Pakistan last month following the killings of 26 innocent people, mostly Hindu men, in Indian-controlled Kashmir, foreign secretary Vikram Misri said. In recent weeks, Trump had claimed to have brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan and offered trade concessions in part to make the nuclear-armed rivals reach an agreement after shooting at each other for days, which was checkmated by New Delhi. Trump had also proposed mediation over Kashmir. In a statement, Misri said Modi clarified to Trump that India had 'never in the past accepted nor would it encourage in the future a third-party mediation' over the simmering dispute of Kashmir, a Himalayan region claimed by both India and Pakistan in its entirety. Misri said Modi made it clear to Trump that during multiple talks held between New Delhi and Washington senior officials amid the ongoing military conflict, there was no mention of a trade deal or the US mediation over Kashmir. 'The talks to stop military actions were held directly between the military leaders of India and Pakistan through existing channels,' Misri said.
National Post
18-06-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Carney says Canada, India to reappoint high commissioners in apparent diplomatic thaw
KANANASKIS, Alta. — Prime Minister Mark Carney said that Canada and India will reappoint high commissioners, easing the diplomatic crisis between the two countries, and reaffirmed the need for Russia to commit to an unconditional ceasefire. Article content In his closing remarks at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alta., Carney spoke to reporters amid a number of international crises, including Israel's escalating war with Iran, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and global trade instability sparked by U.S. President Donald Trump. Article content Article content Article content As Carney works to lessen Canada's dependence on exports to the U.S., the prime minister announced that he and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to reappoint high commissioner's in their respective countries. Article content Article content Last fall, both countries expelled most of the other country's diplomats after the RCMP announced it suspected the Indian government was linked to numerous serious crimes in Canada, including the murder of Canadian Sikh Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Carney described his meeting with Modi as a 'necessary first step' in rebuilding the broken relationship. Article content He said the leaders discussed law enforcement and transnational repression, but he demurred when asked if he brought up Nijjar's assassination. Article content 'We had a discussion… about the importance of having law enforcement to law enforcement dialogue,' Carney said. Article content Article content 'Obviously there is a judicial process that is underway and I need to be careful about further commentary,' he added. Article content Article content Just hours before that, the G7 leaders released six joint communiqués on subjects of concern, including transnational repression and artificial intelligence. Article content Notably, though, there was no communiqué on Ukraine, apparently because the Americans would not agree to the 'strong language' the other leaders wanted to use, according to a senior government official briefing reporters on background. Article content 'It is our values – of freedom, of democracy, and of justice – that are behind Canada's unwavering support for a secure and sovereign Ukraine, said Carney in his closing remarks. Article content Reporters questioned Carney repeatedly on why there had not been a joint statement and if the U.S. was at fault. Article content Carney frequently responded that all parties agreed on the phrasing of support for Ukraine in his summit chair's statement, which is a different document that does not require sign-off by all G7 members.
Bloomberg
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Canada and India Agree to Name New Ambassadors After Expulsions
Canada and India agreed to appoint new chief diplomats in a major step toward moving past a feud that last year saw them expel each other's officials over accusations of transnational repression and crime. Prime Ministers Mark Carney and Narendra Modi agreed to work to reestablish regular embassy services in both countries after a meeting at the Group of Seven in Kananaskis, Alberta on Tuesday, according to a statement from Carney's office.
