Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday said India and Canada were “made for each other” as he met his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau for the first time during which they reviewed bilateral ties including the progress on nuclear cooperation.
Modi and Trudeau met on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit. This was their first meeting after Trudeau came to power last year, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said while briefing reporters on the bilateral meeting.
During Friday’s meeting, the two leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation including progress in the nuclear energy sector.
Last year, Modi had held extensive talks with then Canadian Premier Stephen Harper after which Canada had agreed to supply 3,000 metric tonnes of uranium to energy-hungry India under a $254 million five-year deal to power Indian reactors.
During the meeting Friday, Prime Minister Modi noted that the cooperation in the nuclear energy sector was “progressing very well”, Swarup said.
Last year’s agreement for uranium supply came two years after protracted negotiations following the 2013 civil nuclear deal between India and Canada.
Great to see Indian PM @narendramodi again today at #NSS2016, discussing nuclear security & economic growth. pic.twitter.com/tf1D06qFDh
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) April 1, 2016
The two leaders also recalled their meeting when Modi visited Canada last year when Harper was the Prime Minister.
Modi also congratulated Trudeau on his fantastic win in the November elections.
Modi noted that there was new energy, dynamism and speed in India-Canada relationship since Trudeau assumed office.
The Prime Minister pointed out that possibilities for cooperation on the economic front were immense and the potential for economic cooperation had not been utilised, Swarup said.
Modi told Trudeau that India and Canada were “made for each other”.
“The Prime Minister said Canada has all natural resources, India needs those resources. India also has human resource,” Swarup said.
Trudeau also complemented Prime Minister Modi on his intervention last evening at the opening of the Nuclear Security Summit.
The Prime Minister said India has a fruitful partnership with Canada and it is progressing well.
“India is the land of Buddha and Gandhi and is committed to non-violence,” Modi was quoted as saying by Swarup.
INDIA INVITES CANADIAN FACULTY TO HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
India on Friday invited Canadian faculty members to teach in its institutes of higher learning at short stretches.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a bilateral meeting with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau here on the sidelines of the Fourth Nuclear Summit here, said that Canada had a surplus of human resource capital.
“He said that Canadian professors and teachers, including retired faculty members, could consider coming to India during the harsh winter months in Canada and teaching at Indian universities for periods ranging from three to six months under the GIAN (Global Initiative of Academic Networks),” external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said at a media briefing here following the meeting.
GIAN is a programme under the union human resources ministry that aims at tapping the talent pool of academia and scientists internationally to encourage their engagement with institutes of higher education in India.
Modi said that this would help India receive quality education, according to Swarup.
Trudeau concurred immediately, saying that he had himself been a schoolteacher.
“So there is a real potential, he said, for harnessing the opportunity of helping so many young people in India get better skills and Canada would also be happy to provide help in education and infrastructure support,” Swarup stated.
During Modi's visit to Canada in April last year, a number of agreements on skill dvelopment were signed between India and Canada.
Modi also talked about the flagship development programmes in India.
“He talked about the 500 cities where, as you know renewable energy, infrastructure has to be built in terms of waste management, converting waste into energy,” the spokesman said.
“He also talked about the smart cities project, the project to bring metro transport to as many as 50 cities in India and said that all this would lead not only to better quality of life for India citizens but also the introduction of ecologically friendly technologies.”
Modi said that Canadian companies stood a very good chance to bag contracts if they were to invest in these sectors in India.
Trudeau, on his part, talked about Canadian expertise in environmental-friendly technologies, dealing with climate change, anti-poverty strategies, and innovations which could help the global economy, according to Swarup.
“Prime minister (Modi) said that poverty alleviation was an important plank for his government and till the benefits reach the last person in the society, we cannot say that we have been successful,” the spokesman stated.
Modi also referred to the “progressive policies” in the hydrocarbon sector, in particular for deep sea and high temperature exploration, announced in the last union budget.
“He (Modi)said that these sectors have now been opened up. The sectors will be entirely market-driven and the policies would allow top companies from abroad to participate in the Indian market,” Swarup said.
Trudeau talked about the possibility taking forward the Foreign Investment Promotion Agreement (FIPA) and the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
Modi also extended an invitation to Trudeau to visit India which the latter.
This was the first meeting between the two leaders after Trudeau became prime minister in November last year.
In his visit to Canada last year, Modi had met Trudeau who was the leader of the opposition then.
