Bari (Italy). The sourness in relations between India and Canada after the murder of Khalistani supporter Hardeep Singh Nijjar now seems to be ending. This is being said because in Bara, Italy, there was a detailed discussion between PM Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau to deal with all the issues.
Amid strains in bilateral ties, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday said there is a commitment to working closely with India to tackle some “very important issues” after his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 summit. PM Modi on Friday posted a photo of the two leaders shaking hands on social media, saying, “Met Canadian PM Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the G7 Summit.”
The meeting, held on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Apulia, southern Italy, is the first amid strained diplomatic ties over pro-Khalistan extremism. Earlier, Trudeau had alleged that Canadian authorities were “actively investigating credible allegations” related to the Indian government’s involvement in the killing of terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The allegations leveled by Canada last year were strongly rejected by the Foreign Ministry as “absurd and motivated”. “I won’t go into the details of this important, sensitive issue that we need to work on further, but it is a commitment to work together to deal with some very important issues in the coming period,” Trudeau told reporters at a press conference at the end of the three-day G7 summit on Saturday.
Soon after the meeting on Friday evening, the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office said the leaders had a “brief discussion on bilateral relations”, during which Trudeau also congratulated PM Modi on his re-election. “Of course, there are important issues between our two countries at this time. You can understand that we will not be making any further statement at this time,” the Canadian Press news agency quoted spokesperson Anne-Clara Vaillancourt as saying.
India has been saying that the main issue between the two countries is that Canada is providing space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from its territory. India has repeatedly conveyed its “deep concerns” to Canada and New Delhi hopes that Ottawa will take strong action against those elements.
Tags: Canada, Justin Trudeau, Narendra Modi
FIRST PUBLISHED : June 15, 2024, 23:18 IST