Amidst severe strain in bilateral ties, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated on June 15 that there is a commitment to work together with India on some "very important issues" after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit.
PM Modi shared an image on social media of their handshake on June 14, captioned simply, "met Canadian PM Justin Trudeau at the G7 Summit".
The meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Apulia, southern Italy, was the first amid strained diplomatic relations over pro-Khalistani extremism. This follows Trudeau's allegations that Canadian authorities are "actively pursuing credible allegations" related to Indian government involvement in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist.
These Canadian allegations from last year were strongly rejected by India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as "absurd and motivated."
"I'm not going to get into the details of this important, sensitive issue that we need to follow up, but this was a commitment to work together, in the coming times, to deal with some very important issues," Trudeau told reporters at a press conference in Savelletri Di Fasano, Italy, on June 15, the final day of the three-day G7 Summit.
The last meeting between the two leaders occurred on the sidelines of the G20 Summit hosted by India in September.
Following the meeting on June 14 evening, the Canadian Prime Minister's Office stated that the leaders had a "brief discussion on the bilateral relationship," during which Trudeau also congratulated Modi on his re-election.
"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," spokesperson Ann-Clara Vaillancourt was quoted by the Canadian Press news agency as saying.
India has consistently maintained that the primary issue between the two countries is Canada providing space for pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity. India has repeatedly expressed its "deep concerns" to Canada and expects Ottawa to take strong action against these elements.
Nijjar's murder is being investigated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Four Indian nationals have been arrested in connection with the case by the RCMP.
PM Modi's meeting with Trudeau was part of a busy day of bilateral meetings for the Prime Minister, including with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni—the host of the summit. PM Modi also held discussions with other world leaders attending the summit, including US President Joe Biden.
PM Modi joined leaders from Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Jordan, Kenya, Mauritania, Tunisia, Turkiye, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to address the Outreach session on Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Africa, and the Mediterranean, along with Pope Francis, at the invitation of Meloni.
With agency inputs
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