Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as they attended the G7 Summit in Italy.
“Met Canadian PM @JustinTrudeau at the G7 Summit,” Mr. Modi posted on the X platform on June 14. The post is accompanied by a picture showing a handshake with Mr. Trudeau using two hands to hold Mr. Modi’s right hand.
Relations between the two countries have been particularly strained in recent months over the issue of foreign interference and Sikh separatism.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has yet to release a readout of the meeting between the leaders. The PMO did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The PMO had issued a
statement on June 5 to congratulate Mr. Modi on his re-election. Mr. Modi’s party retained power but lost 63 seats and its majority status.
“As bilateral and Indo-Pacific partners, Canada stands ready to work together to advance the relationship between our peoples – anchored to human rights, diversity, and the rule of law,” the statement from Mr. Trudeau reads.
Mr. Modi posted on X about his meetings throughout the day with world leaders. The post on Mr. Trudeau was shorter than others.
He
wrote it’s “always a pleasure to meet” with U.S. President Joe Biden. “India and USA will keep working together to further global good.”
Mr. Modi
said he had a “very good meeting” with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and thanked her for inviting India to the G7 Summit. “We discussed ways to further cement India-Italy relations in areas like commerce, energy, defence, telecom and more,” he said.
Strained Relations
Shortly before the G20 Summit in India last September, the Canadian government
said negotiations for a trade deal between the two countries had been put on hold and provided no explanation.
In his post-G20 press conference on Sept. 10, Mr. Trudeau
said he had raised the issue of foreign interference with Mr. Modi.
Meanwhile, India’s Ministry of External Affairs issued on the same day a
readout of the meeting between Mr. Modi and Mr. Trudeau, saying the issue of “anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada” had been discussed.
Eight days later, on the first day of the new House of Commons session, Mr. Trudeau rose and publicly
said there were “credible allegations” that Indian government agents were potentially involved in the murder on Canadian soil of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)
rejected the allegation, saying “allegations of Government of India’s involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated.”
Suspects in the assassination of Mr. Nijjar have since been arrested and are awaiting trial.
The United States
said in November it had thwarted a plot to assassinate an ally of Mr. Nijjar, which was allegedly directed by an Indian government official.
“There is an ongoing investigation of the High Level Committee set up by the Government of India to look into the security concerns shared by the US government on networks of organised criminals, terrorists and others,” said India’s MEA spokesperson in late April in response to a
media report about the assassination plots.
The Epoch Times reached out to the MEA for comment but didn’t hear back by publication time.
