Anita Anand and Jaishankar meet to Strengthen Canada-India strategic partnership

Jaishankar meets Anita Anand in New Delhi. Photo: S Jaishankar/X

IBNS-CMEDIA: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday met his Canadian counterpart, Anita Anand, in New Delhi, with both sides looking to strengthen bilateral ties and advance their Strategic Partnership.

During the meeting, the two ministers reviewed progress in bilateral relations across trade and investment, education, energy, defence and people-to-people exchanges. They also discussed key regional and global developments.

In a post on X, Jaishankar said the discussions covered a broad range of areas of cooperation.

“Reviewed progress in our ties across trade & investment, education, energy, defence and people-to-people exchanges. Also exchanged views on key regional and global developments,” he wrote.

He added that both countries were working to advance their Strategic Partnership through continued engagement at the leadership, government and industry levels.

“Guided by our leadership and sustained engagement across government and industry, we are advancing our Strategic Partnership,” Jaishankar said.

According to a statement released by the Canadian government, the ministers also discussed geopolitical developments, including the conflict in the Middle East and Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The two sides welcomed the recent bilateral security dialogue held in India at the National Security Adviser level. During the talks, senior officials from both countries reviewed progress in security and law enforcement cooperation and committed to continued engagement on issues of mutual interest.

The ministers also welcomed efforts to advance negotiations for a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA). They highlighted the Team Canada Trade Mission, led by International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu, as a concrete example of growing economic cooperation and expanding bilateral trade.

The meeting followed a telephone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, on Tuesday. The two leaders held what the Indian side described as a warm and productive discussion, agreeing to build on the positive momentum in bilateral relations and pursue concrete outcomes across key areas of their Strategic Partnership.

Their discussions focused on trade, energy, technology, security and people-to-people ties, with both leaders reaffirming their commitment to strengthening cooperation between India and Canada.