Amidst a severe diplomatic strain between Canada and India over the murder of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a courtesy interaction on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy. This meeting comes at a time when relations between the two countries are particularly tense.
The tension stems from Canada’s allegations that agents of the Indian government were involved in the murder of Nijjar, who had been declared a terrorist by India. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in India has strongly rejected these allegations as “absurd and motivated.” Furthermore, India has accused Canada of fostering anti-India elements, particularly those associated with the Khalistan movement.
The interaction between Trudeau and Modi was brief and described as a courtesy meeting, unlike Modi’s formal bilateral meetings with leaders from Italy, France, Japan, and others. Modi later posted a brief message stating, “Met Canadian PM Justin Trudeau at the G7 Summit.”
Following the brief exchange, Trudeau mentioned on Saturday that there was a commitment to work together with India to address some “very important issues.” He did not delve into the specifics of the conversation but emphasized the importance of collaboration between the two countries. “I’m not going to get into the details of this important, sensitive issue that we need to follow up on, but this was a commitment to work together, in the coming times, to deal with some very important issues,” Trudeau told reporters.
The Canadian Prime Minister’s Office stated that the leaders had a “brief discussion on the bilateral relationship,” during which Trudeau congratulated Modi on his re-election. Ann-Clara Vaillancourt, a spokesperson for Trudeau, noted, “Of course, there are important issues between our two countries right now. You can appreciate that we won’t be making any further statements at this time.”
India has not released a separate statement regarding the interaction between Modi and Trudeau. However, New Delhi has consistently highlighted the main issue being Canada’s accommodation of pro-Khalistan elements. India expects Canada to take strong action against these elements to improve bilateral relations.
At the G7 Summit, PM Modi also held bilateral meetings with several other world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. He also met with US President Joe Biden.
The courtesy meeting between Trudeau and Modi, although brief, signifies a step towards addressing the complex issues straining India-Canada relations, with both leaders acknowledging the need for further dialogue and cooperation.
