Meet between NSAs of India, Canada advanced ties: Ottawa
Canada has said that a meeting in New Delhi on September 18 between top security officials of Canada and India was aimed at “advancing a relationship based on mutual respect.”
NSA Ajit Doval with his Canadian counterpart Nathalie G Drouin in New Delhi on Thursday. (PTI)
Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Advisor Nathalie G Drouin met with India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Thursday.
“With these talks, and the recent exchange of high commissioners between Canada and India to renew the diplomatic relationship, we are advancing a relationship based on mutual respect, the rule of law, and a commitment to the principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Drouin said in a statement released by the Privy Council of Canada, akin to India’s Cabinet Secretariat.
“We discussed our respective security concerns and committed to non-interference including refraining from transnational repression. We also agreed on the importance of reciprocal exchange of information and mutual responsiveness,” Drouin said in the statement.
The meeting followed “constructive discussions” between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney on the margins of the G7 leaders’ summit in Kananaskis in June this year.
In a statement released earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs or MEA noted Drouin’s visit “was a part of the regular bilateral security dialogue between the two sides” and also “an opportunity to follow-up on the discussions” between the PMs.
“The two sides agreed to work closely on the way forward and adopt a collaborative approach towards a new chapter in bilateral relations,” MEA said, adding that both sides “acknowledged the clear momentum for rebuilding trust and expanding cooperation at the highest levels of political leadership.”
It said they had “productive discussions on advancing the bilateral relationship including in areas such as counter terrorism, combating transnational organised crime and intelligence exchanges” and “agreed to strengthen security cooperation and further reinforce existing mechanisms of engagement.” They also “deliberated on the priority areas for future cooperation and exchanged views on regional and global developments.”
The engagement was part of the ongoing reset in the relationship, as Canada’s Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison and Secretary (East) P Kumaran led consultations, also in New Delhi, on Friday. “Both sides welcomed the return of High Commissioners, reviewed bilateral ties, agreed to reactivate all dialogue mechanisms, & address capacity issues at respective diplomatic missions,” MEA said in a release.
High Commissioner-designates of both countries have arrived in the capitals this month and are expected to assume charge shortly. There is the possibility that Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand meets with her Indian counterpart, Ministry of External Affairs S Jaisankar, on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.
Relations between India and Canada cratered after then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated in the House of Commons on September 18, 2023, that there are “credible allegations” of a potential link between Indian agents and the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar three months earlier in Surrey, British Columbia. India described those accusations as “absurd”.
