NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand wrapped up a crucial three-day official visit to India, which both New Delhi and Ottawa hailed as a major step toward revitalizing and elevating the strategic partnership. The visit, which included meetings with India’s top leadership, culminated in a new bilateral roadmap focused on strategic cooperation, economic revival, and security dialogue.

Minister Anand’s trip to India, the first leg of her multi-nation tour across the Indo-Pacific, was a highly anticipated event following a period of strained diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Key Highlights of the Visit and Outcomes

1. New Roadmap for Strategic Cooperation

Foreign Minister Anand met with her counterpart, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, to set the foundational framework for future engagement. The two ministers issued a joint statement outlining a comprehensive strategy to advance ties.

• Elevating the Relationship: Minister Anand affirmed, “Both of our governments agree on the importance of elevating the relationship going further,” and affirmed a collective commitment to advancing the partnership in the immediate and long term.
• Strategic Pillars: The key areas identified for strategic cooperation include:
  • Trade Diversification and Economic Growth: Revitalizing commercial ties, with a focus on agriculture, agri-value chains, and fostering stable supply chains.
  • Energy Transformation: Enhancing collaboration on clean energy technologies, critical minerals, LNG/LPG trade, and the development of green hydrogen. The re-establishment of the Canada-India Ministerial Energy Dialogue was a key agreement.
  • Security: Strengthening cooperation in law enforcement, counterterrorism, and intelligence sharing, building on the recent productive meeting between the National Security Advisors of both nations.

2. Meeting with Prime Minister Modi

Minister Anand called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The Prime Minister welcomed her visit, noting its importance in imparting “new momentum” to the bilateral partnership.

• PM Modi recalled his “extremely productive” meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in June, which laid the groundwork for the current diplomatic reset.
• Discussions focused on the significance of enhanced cooperation in trade, energy, technology, agriculture, and people-to-people ties.

3. Economic and Commercial Focus

In addition to her diplomatic meetings, Minister Anand held discussions with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.

• Investment and Business Engagement: Following her meetings in Delhi, Minister Anand travelled to Mumbai to engage with Canadian and Indian business leaders. This engagement was aimed at exploring avenues for deeper investment, job creation, and economic opportunities in both countries.
• Indo-Pacific Strategy: The Canadian Foreign Minister highlighted that the visit aligns with Canada’s broader Indo-Pacific Strategy, positioning the country as a “trusted, reliable partner of choice” for economies in the region.

4. Repairing Strained Ties

The visit is seen as the most significant step in normalizing the relationship since the diplomatic strain last year. The recent, calibrated steps taken by both sides to stabilize ties—including the appointment of new High Commissioners and security-level dialogues—were noted as essential progress.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated the visit will help “build on the positive momentum… by revitalizing our bilateral mechanisms, deepening economic cooperation, and further strengthening the enduring people-to-people ties that anchor our partnership.”

Future Steps

The new roadmap envisions the relaunch of several bilateral mechanisms, including the Joint Working Group on Higher Education and the Joint Science and Technology Cooperation Committee, to enhance collaboration in academia, innovation, and emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI). The new, forward-looking partnership aims to ensure a more stable and pragmatic cooperation for shared prosperity.