Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that 'fight' with India was not something Canada wanted to be having right now. He said Ottawa wants to "work constructively" with New Delhi on this "very serious matter".
During a media briefing on Friday, Trudeau claimed that India breached the Vienna Convention when more than 40 Canadian diplomats were relocated from the country in response to New Delhi's warning of revoking their diplomatic immunity.
The ties between India and Canada suffered a severe strain post-Trudeau's allegations in September of a "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020. India rejected Trudeau's allegations as "absurd" and "motivated".
In his recent statements, Trudeau mentioned that his administration contacted India, urging cooperation to investigate and resolve the underlying issues in this matter. "From the very beginning when we learned of credible allegations that agents of the Indian govt were involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil, we reached out to India to ask them to work with us in getting to the bottom of this matter," he stated while addressing the media.
Trudeau further stated that Canada has also engaged with its allies, including the United States, to address this significant breach of international law and the sovereignty of a democratic nation. He emphasized the gravity of the situation, underscoring that it is being treated with utmost seriousness. "We will continue to work with all partners as law enforcement and investigative agencies continue to do their work. Canada is a country that will always stand up for the rule of law because if might starts to make right again, if bigger countries can violate international law without consequences, then the whole world gets more dangerous for everyone," he added.
Trudeau said that Canada wants to "work constructively" with India on this "very serious matter". "From the very beginning, we shared the real allegations that we are deeply concerned about but we have reached out to the Indian govt and to partners around the world to get to the bottom of this, to take it seriously. That's why we were so disappointed when India violated the Vienna Convention and arbitrarily revoked the diplomatic immunity of over 40 Canadian diplomats in India," he said.
He restated that there are compelling grounds to suspect the potential involvement of agents from the Indian government in the death of Nijjar. "India's response is to kick out a whole bunch of Canadian diplomats by violating their rights under the Vienna Convention. That is of concern to countries around the world because if a given country can just decide that their diplomats of another country are no longer protected, that makes international relations more dangerous and more serious," he added.
"But every step of the way, we have tried to work constructively and positively with India, and we will continue to and that means continuing to work with Indian government diplomats. This is not a fight we want to be having right now but we will unequivocally always stand up for the rule of law," he added. Following US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to New Delhi on Friday, he called on India to collaborate with Canada in the investigation into Nijjar's killing, prompting the remarks from Prime Minister Trudeau.
Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra expressed New Delhi's serious apprehensions to the US about the escalating actions of pro-Khalistani groups in Canada last week. "Insofar as Canada is concerned, we have been having very consistent conversations with all our friends and partners. Our position on this matter has been enunciated and explained in full detail on multiple occasions," Kwatra said.
In the aftermath of Trudeau's accusations in September, India temporarily halted the issuance of visas to Canadian citizens and requested Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic representation in the country to maintain a balance. India resumed certain visa services in Canada last month, over a month after their suspension.
(With inputs from PTI)
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