India-Canada friendship has gained new energy, mutual trust and positivity: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the friendship between India and Canada has gained new energy, mutual trust and positivity since his first meeting with Canadian counterpart Mark Carney, last year.

"India is delighted to welcome Prime Minister Carney on his first visit to our nation. This is an important milestone in India-Canada relations. PM Carney's accomplishments, including those before he became Prime Minister, are very inspiring. I can say with confidence that from our very first meeting, the India-Canada friendship has gained new energy, mutual trust and positivity. Our talks today focussed on further strengthening this relationship for the benefit of the people of our nations," PM Modi posted on X after holding bilateral discussions with Carney in New Delhi on Monday.

The Canadian PM concluded his February 27–March 2 India visit - his first to India after taking over as the Prime Minister of Canada and the first bilateral visit to India by a Canadian Prime Minister since 2018 - after participating in an India-Canada CEOs Forum.

Carney was accompanied by a high-level Canadian delegation that included senior ministers, provincial leaders and leading CEOs.

"PM Carney and I agreed on the need to further deepen economic linkages. We want to take bilateral trade to $50 Billion by 2030. The investment of Canadian pension funds in India reflects deep confidence in India's growth story. We also talked about expanding partnerships in technology, innovation, AI, critical minerals, renewable energy, agriculture and more. We also shared perspectives on ways to make the people-to-people connect stronger. There is immense scope to work together in education and cultural exchanges," said PM Modi.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), commemorating 79 years of establishment of diplomatic relations, the two leaders reaffirmed the importance of the Canada–India relationship which remains grounded in shared democratic values, deep people-to-people ties, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a joint commitment to the rule of law.

"The Leaders acknowledged that, in an increasingly complex and uncertain global context, a strong, resilient, and forward-looking partnership between two vibrant democracies contributes meaningfully to mutual prosperity and to advancing shared global priorities. They underscored that closer cooperation between India and Canada will help reinforce international rules and norms that are applied fairly, strengthen economic resilience, promote sustainable development, and address global challenges including climate change, rapid technological transformation, and public health," read the India-Canada Joint Leaders' Statement.

PM Modi and Carney also welcomed a new Maritime Security Partnership in areas such as Defence Material Cooperation, Supply Chain Resilience, and Training and Exercises.

"The Leaders recognise the value of expanding practical military cooperation and welcome opportunities to deepen defence relations through cooperative activities, joint training opportunities, and professional military exchanges... Both countries agree to institutionalizing an India–Canada Defence Dialogue which will exchange views on respective defence policies, regional and global security developments, and strategic outlooks in order to identify opportunities for greater defence collaboration. In this context, they welcomed Canada’s appointment of a Defence Attaché to India and India’s concurrent accreditation of its Defence Attache in Washington D.C. to Canada as important steps toward strengthening institutional linkages," the Joint Statement added.

Picture Courtesy: X/ Narendra Modi