India, Canada agree to enhance investment

India's Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and Canada's Minister of International Trade Edward Fast during a bilateral meeting here Friday agreed on all the issues related to the Foreign Investment Protection Agreement and the Bilateral Social Security Agreement, India's ministry of commerce and industry said in a statement Saturday.

All the issues have been resolved and "both agreements could now be signed at an opportune time," it said. During the meeting, the Indian minister emphasised on the need for convening a meeting of the India-Canada CEO Forum at an early date so that the agenda for positive engagement between the businesses of the two countries could be pushed forward.

India has also urged Canada to increase the supply of Potash. The Canadian government should view this matter from a “strategic perspective and urge the Canadian businesses to enter into long term agreements with the Indian buyers on commercial terms,” Sharma said.

Referring to the problems faced by Indian IT professionals in obtaining Canadian visa, Sharma said it was limiting trade services between the two countries. Sharma urged the Canadian authorities to remove impediments to the movement of IT professionals from India to Canada.