Anand visits India on the occasion of the first visit of a Cabinet Minister in two years – National

Foreign Minister Anita Anand is visiting India, the first visit by a Canadian government minister after two years of diplomatic tension.

Anand will address the media this morning after meeting her Indian counterpart Subramaniam Jaishankar in New Delhi, and also plans to meet business leaders in Mumbai.

on monday Anand met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra ModiHe said in a statement that the meeting aims to build on the momentum gained earlier this summer when Modi was visiting Canada for the G7 summit and met with Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Anand also issued a joint statement on Monday with Jaishankar, laying out a roadmap for a stronger trade partnership between the two countries, once again reviving discussions that started and stopped at various points since 2010.

Anand and Jaishankar say the meeting in New Delhi is a continuation of the conversation that took place earlier this summer and will “take calibration measures to restore stability to the relationship.”

The two foreign ministers say a “strong and resilient bilateral relationship between Canada and India is essential” amid ongoing economic uncertainty and rising geopolitical tensions.

Anand’s meeting with Modi, as well as Carney’s words with his Indian counterpart at the G7, are clear signs of improving relations between India and Canada.

In September 2023, The liberal government accused New Delhi of playing a role in the assassination of a Sikh activist near Vancouver earlier that year, and RCMP have since charged India with a large-scale crime in Canada.

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The cold started to pick up a bit in June when Carney invited Modi to the G7 summit in Alberta The two countries agreed to return their senior diplomats.

As part of her visit, Anand also met Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, who said he had a “constructive discussion” last Saturday with Canadian Commerce Minister Maninder Sidhu.

Sidhu says the two countries can cooperate on clean technology, agriculture and critical minerals, while Goyal says trade and investment “should be based on the principles of mutual respect, trust and balance.”

The two countries agreed to engage in closed talks on security concerns, which Canadian officials said shows progress in managing concerns about transnational repression without those issues dominating the relationship.

The CEDU briefing document, prepared by Canada’s Department of Global Affairs in May, notes that India has contributed to problems faced by the global trading system on which Canada depends, especially rules set by the World Trade Organization.

“Negotiations of major concerns such as the Negotiations have long been at a stalemate. A handful of obstructionist members, led by India, routinely obstruct the negotiated outcomes desired by most members,” the document said.

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