India, Canada agree to work towards 'new chapter' in ties

New Delhi: India and Canada have agreed to adopt a collaborative approach towards a new chapter in bilateral ties, including working closely to combat terrorism and transnational crimes, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday.

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and his Canadian counterpart Nathalie Drouin held wide-ranging talks in New Delhi on Thursday with a focus on repairing the bilateral relations that came under severe strain following a diplomatic spat over the killing of a Sikh separatist in 2023.

The MEA came out with broad outcomes of the talks on Saturday.

"The two sides agreed to work closely on the way forward and adopt a collaborative approach towards a new chapter in bilateral relations," it said.

In June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney on the margins of the G7 summit at Kananaskis in Canada.

In the meeting, both the leaders agreed to pursue "constructive" steps to restore stability in India-Canada ties.

It was also an opportunity to follow up on the discussions between Prime Minister Modi and his Canadian counterpart Carney, the MEA said on Doval-Drouin talks.

"Both sides acknowledged the clear momentum for rebuilding trust and expanding cooperation at the highest levels of political leadership," it said.

The MEA said the two NSAs had "productive" discussions on advancing the bilateral relationship, including in areas such as counter terrorism, combating transnational organised crime and intelligence exchanges.

"They agreed to strengthen security cooperation and further reinforce existing mechanisms of engagement," the MEA said in a statement.

It said, "The two NSAs also deliberated on the priority areas for future cooperation and exchanged views on regional and global developments." The talks between the two NSAs came three weeks after India and Canada appointed envoys to each other's capitals.

India-Canada relations hit rock bottom following then prime minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in 2023 of a potential Indian link to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In October last year, India recalled its high commissioner and five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to link them to the Nijjar case. India also expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats.

However, Liberal Party leader Carney's victory in the parliamentary election in April helped in beginning the process to reset relations.