BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
Anand’s journey – which covers India, Singapore and China – underscores Canada’s dedication to advance bilateral ties and deepen cooperation underneath its Indo-Pacific Technique.
Anand emphasised that the nation’s overseas coverage is “grounded in pragmatism”, prioritising the constructing of relationships with a wide range of nations, notably within the Indo-Pacific area.
Throughout her go to to Singapore, she sought to reaffirm and deepen ties with considered one of Canada’s key companions in Southeast Asia.
The journey additionally carried symbolic significance, as Canada and Singapore are marking 60 years of diplomatic relations this yr.
Earlier than arriving in Singapore, Anand made her first official go to to India, the place she held talks along with her counterpart S Jaishankar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The conferences signalled a thaw in relations between New Delhi and Ottawa, which had been severely strained following the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh separatist chief.
Then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had accused India of involvement within the killing on Canadian soil – an allegation strongly denied by New Delhi.
The fallout led each side to expel senior diplomats and limit visa companies.
India is Canada’s largest supply of short-term overseas employees and worldwide college students, however a backlog of functions has since amassed.
Throughout discussions in New Delhi earlier this week, each side agreed on a roadmap to restore bilateral ties and improve collaboration in areas equivalent to vital minerals, commerce and agricultural worth chains.
Additionally they raised the significance of legislation enforcement dialogue to deal with safety considerations.
Anand mentioned that Canada’s engagement with India begins with “guaranteeing that public security and safety again at house are prime of the agenda”.
“That is why the joint declaration that we finalised particularly mentions respect for the rule of legislation, respect for the safety dialogue that now we have with India on an ongoing foundation,” she added.
“At one other degree, we’re guaranteeing that step-by-step, we’re elevating the connection with India to incorporate points referring to commerce resilience, points referring to power cooperation, points referring to AI and new applied sciences, amongst others.”
