New Delhi/Ottawa: Signalling a thaw in bilateral ties, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney has said the two countries share “strong” and “vibrant” ties.
In a message conveyed to the India-Canada Association of Montreal during the recent celebration of India’s Independence Day, Carney said, “Canada and India have a strong, longstanding and vibrant relationship built on our shared traditions of democracy and pluralism. Our close bond is strengthened by a community of more than 1.4 million Indo-Canadians who make important contributions to our country in all fields of endeavor.”
Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand has said the ties will move ahead on a step-by-step basis. In a significant step toward mending strained relations, Canada has appointed veteran diplomat Christopher Cooter as its new High Commissioner to India, marking a reset in diplomatic ties between the two countries.
The announcement came as both nations formally named new envoys, 10 months after expelling each other's top diplomats amid a major diplomatic row. While Anand confirmed Cooter's appointment, India's Ministry of External Affairs announced that senior diplomat Dinesh K Patnaik will serve as India's next High Commissioner to Canada.
The ties between India and Canada soured when, in October last year, then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that he had "credible allegations" of India's hand in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
A major diplomatic row had erupted when Canada labelled India's High Commissioner and other diplomats as "persons of interest" in the investigation of Nijjar's death. India denied all the allegations, calling them "absurd" and "motivated", accusing Ottawa of giving space to extremist and anti-India elements in the country.
