New Delhi: Amid strained ties, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau met face-to-face on the sidelines of the G7 summit which was held under Italy’s presidency in country’s Apulia region from June 13-15. India was invited for the fifth consecutive time at the G7 summit as an ‘Outreach Country’.
On the question of inviting India next year, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau said that he will have more to say as and when his country assumes the elite group’s presidency in 2025. The next G7 summit will be held in Kananaskis, Alberta in 2025 under Canada’s presidency.
“I can appreciate the keenness with it with which Canadians are looking forward to next year’s G7. However, Italy continues to be the President of this G7 for the rest of this year and I look forward to working with Prime Minister Meloni and all my G7 Partners on the broad range of issues that we’ve talked about. I will have more to say about next year’s G7 when we assume the G7 Presidency next year,” said Trudeau while speaking to reporters.
As PM Modi and Trudeau met in Bari, the Canadian PM said that there was a commitment to work together with India. “I’m not going to get into the details of this important, sensitive issue that we need to follow up, but this was a commitment to work together, in the coming times, to deal with some very important issues,” Trudeau told reporters at a press conference in Savelletri Di Fasano in Italy on Saturday.
India-Canada Diplomatic Row
The last meeting between the two leaders, Modi and Trudeau, happened on the sidelines of the G20 Summit hosted by India in September. After that, the two state heads met in person for the first time in Bari. However, a lot has transpired since then.
The meeting took place amid strained diplomatic relations over pro-Khalistani extremism after Trudeau alleged that Canadian authorities are “actively pursuing credible allegations” related to Indian government involvement in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist. The Canadian allegations have been strongly rejected by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as “absurd and motivated”.
Canada Giving Space to Extremism: New Delhi
India has been maintaining that the main issue between the two countries is that of Canada giving space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity. India has repeatedly conveyed its “deep concerns” to Canada and New Delhi expects Ottawa to take strong action against those elements.
Will India be Invited to G7 Summit Next Year? Canadian PM Justin Trudeau Responds world-news World News | Latest International Global World News | Todays Breaking News Headlines
