India and Canada vow to reset ties after years of diplomatic spats
India and Canada have agreed to reset ties after years of tensions, which culminated in the mutual expulsions of top diplomats in 2024.
New Delhi and Ottawa will designate new high commissioners to their respective missions. A high commissioner is the top diplomat, ranking as an ambassador, in a diplomatic mission of one British Commonwealth nation to another. The Commonwealth nations use the term 'high commission' instead of embassy in diplomatic dealings.
The breakthrough between the nations took place during a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, on the sidelines of the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, 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,' Carney's office said in a statement.
'The leaders agreed to designate new High Commissioners, with a view to returning to regular services to citizens and businesses in both countries,' the office added.
During the talks, Modi and Carney discussed trade ties between the two countries, including cooperation in areas such as economic growth, supply chain development, and energy transition. The deterioration of ties between the countries accelerated after the G20 summit in India in 2023.
Sharing my remarks during meeting with PM @MarkJCarney of Canada. https://t.co/rPd42cqsbv
On the sidelines of the global gathering in New Delhi, Modi met with then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and brought up the 'continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada.' Ties between the countries reached a low in October 2024 when Canadian officials accused Indian diplomats of targeting Sikh activists in Canada, leading to mutual expulsions of diplomats.
Some members of Canada's Sikh community demand the establishment of Khalistan, an independent ethno-religious nation that would be carved out of the Indian state of Punjab and surrounding areas. This Khalistan movement in Canada has been central to the rising tensions between New Delhi and Ottawa, especially following Trudeau's allegations that India was involved in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a key figure in the movement.
New Delhi views Khalistan activists as a national threat and has banned their organizations. Pro-Khalistan separatists periodically organize protests, chant anti-India slogans, and target diplomatic missions and Hindu temples, with violent attacks taking place in Canada. India has also been accused of interfering in Canadian elections, which New Delhi has denied.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
6 hours ago
- Russia Today
Pakistan recommends Trump for Nobel Peace Prize
The Pakistani government has formally recommended US President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, citing his mediation efforts in ending the recent military conflict between Islamabad and New Delhi. India, however, insists Trump played no role in de-escalating the tensions. Relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors escalated in late April after a deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Indian‑administered Kashmir, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan‑backed militants. In a statement on Friday, the Pakistani government announced it 'decided to formally recommend' Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize 'in recognition of his decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership during the recent India-Pakistan crisis.' According to Islamabad, the American leader helped de-escalate a 'rapidly deteriorating situation' that could have triggered 'catastrophic consequences for millions in the region and beyond.' It also expressed gratitude to Trump for offering to help resolve the longstanding Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India. The US president has repeatedly claimed credit for the ceasefire on May 10 that halted the hostilities between the two neighboring states. However, the Indian government has denied that the US president played a decisive role. Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri revealed that during a phone conversation with Trump the previous day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed that 'India has never accepted mediation [to resolve its dispute with Islamabad over Jammu and Kashmir], does not accept and will never accept it.' Also on Wednesday, the US president invited Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir to a private lunch meeting, after the field marshal similarly called for Trump's Nobel nomination, Reuters reported, citing White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly. On Saturday, in a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated that he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had arranged a 'wonderful treaty between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda in their war.' 'I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize for this, I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the War between India and Pakistan, I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the War between Serbia and Kosovo, I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize for keeping Peace between Egypt and Ethiopia… and I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize for doing the Abraham Accords in the Middle East,' Trump lamented. Speaking to reporters the previous day, the Republican made similar claims about his role in resolving those conflicts. 'I should have gotten [the Nobel Peace Prize] four or five times,' he insisted, claiming that this will not happen 'because they only give it to liberals.'
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Russia Today
Indian deposits in Swiss banks increase threefold in 2024
Indian deposits in Swiss banks rose threefold year-on-year in 2024, to about $3.78 billion, the PTI news agency reported, citing data from the Swiss National Bank (SNB). The current total in the European tax haven is the highest since 2021, when Indian deposits in Swiss banks reached a 14-year high of $4.13 billion, according to SNB data. Indian politicians have long claimed that Swiss banks hold unaccounted or 'black money,' believed to be proceeds from corruption. The Swiss authorities, however, have consistently stated that the assets held by Indians in Switzerland should not be automatically assumed to be illegal. Bern has previously committed to cooperating with New Delhi to combat tax evasion and fraud. Switzerland and India signed a joint declaration on the introduction of automatic exchange of information on tax matters in 2016. Under this agreement, Switzerland provides India with detailed financial information on Indian residents who hold accounts with Swiss financial institutions. The exchange, the first of which took place in 2019, is annual. The Swiss authorities have reportedly shared information about hundreds of Indian account holders suspected of financial misconduct, in response to India submitting evidence to support the claims. Switzerland has long been considered a tax haven due to its low taxes and stringent privacy laws. The UK topped the list of Swiss bank deposit owners in 2024, while India was in 48th place, up from 67th at the end of 2023, the PTI report added.
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Russia Today
‘Small group' of Khalistanis in Canada fund violence in India
A small number of Khalistani separatists in Canada continue to use the country as a base to fund political violence in India, the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) has said in a report. Khalistanis, or Sikh separatists, seek to carve out an ethno-religious country from the Indian state of Punjab. The movement for a nation of Khalistan reached its peak in India in the 1980s and has few backers in the country now. However, members of the Sikh diaspora have been trying to revive the movement in Canada. India and Canada disagree on the degree of the threat posed by Khalistani activists. 'Some Canadians participate in legitimate and peaceful campaigning to support the Khalistan movement,' the CSIS said in its report. 'Non-violent advocacy for an independent state of Khalistan is not considered extremism.' The Canadian intelligence report added: 'Only a small group of individuals are considered Khalistani extremists because they continue to use Canada as a base for the promotion, fundraising or planning of violence primarily in India.' The report reaffirmed allegations of an Indian government connection in the killing of prominent Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The agency claimed that India, along with Russia, China, Pakistan and Iran, are the 'main perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage' against Canada. The report, which was presented in the Canadian Parliament last week, nearly coincided with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's talks with his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, where they agreed to improve diplomatic ties. Canada-India relations began to deteriorate after the 2023 G20 summit in New Delhi, where then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Modi only held informal talks, exchanging concerns over 'anti-India activities' in the North American nation. Ties between the countries reached a low in October 2024 when Canadian officials accused Indian diplomats of targeting Sikh activists in Canada, leading to the mutual expulsion of diplomats. The CSIS report noted that in October 2024, Canadian investigators found evidence that linked agents of the Indian government and criminal networks to sow violent activity in South Asian communities in Canada. 'Further, links between the Indian government and the Nijjar murder signals a significant escalation in India's repression efforts against the Khalistan movement and a clear intent to target individuals in North America,' the report added.
