Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Canadian PM Mark Carney on the G7 Summit sidelines. Both the leaders discussed strengthening India-Canada ties in trade, energy, AI and anti-terror cooperation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, on Tuesday on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada. This marked PM Modi’s first visit to Canada in a decade and his first meeting with Carney after securing a third term in office.
During the interaction, both leaders expressed a strong intent to reset and deepen bilateral ties. PM Modi said, “India-Canada relations are extremely important.”
He added, “This is the first time I have got the opportunity to meet the Prime Minister after his election, so I congratulate him for his grand victory in this election and in the coming period, India and Canada will progress together in many areas with him.”
Describing the meeting as “excellent,” PM Modi added, “India and Canada are connected by a strong belief in democracy, freedom and rule of law. PM Carney and I look forward to working closely to add momentum to the India-Canada friendship. Areas like trade, energy, space, clean energy, critical minerals, fertilisers and more offer immense potential in this regard.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, welcoming PM Modi to the G7, said, “It’s a great honour to host you at the G7… It’s a testament to the importance of your country, to your leadership and to the importance of the issues that we look to tackle together.”
He further added, “From energy security, from the energy transition that you’re helping to lead, to the future of artificial intelligence, to the fight that we have against transnational repression, against terrorism… it is my great honour to have you here.”
The two leaders also discussed the broader global challenges facing the international community and emphasised the need to work together on key areas including technology, security, and democratic values.
PM Narendra Modi also said, “I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to visit Canada once again after 2015 and reconnect with the people of Canada. India, as the world’s largest democracy, has taken several impactful initiatives during its G20 presidency that have benefitted the global community.”
He added, “Now, there is a significant opportunity to carry forward the strong foundation laid by India at the G20 and bring it to the execution within the G7 framework. India has always been committed to using such opportunities for the greater global good and will continue to do so in the future.”
Briefing about the meeting between PM Modi and Canadian PM Carney, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, “In view of the trade negotiations between the two countries that are currently paused, the two leaders also decided to instruct their officials to take it up at an early date.”
Vikram Misri added that the two leaders agreed to stay in touch and meet once again at the earliest possible opportunity.
He added, “The Prime Ministers agreed to take calibrated steps to restore stability to this very important relationship and the first of these steps that was agreed on was to restore High Commissioners to each other’s capitals at an early date. Other diplomatic steps will follow in due course.”
According to a Canadian readout of the Modi-Carney meeting, Mark Carney and Narendra Modi also agreed to appoint new high commissioners, aiming to restore normal consular and diplomatic services for citizens and businesses in both countries.
The two leaders also reaffirmed the significance of Canada-India relations, emphasising mutual respect, adherence to the rule of law, and a shared commitment to sovereignty and territorial integrity.
