After arriving in Mumbai on Friday on a four-day visit to India, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. During the talks, an agreement can be reached between the two countries mainly on preparing a roadmap for a comprehensive economic partnership agreement. Apart from this, many important agreements can be signed between the two countries in the field of critical minerals and energy. This bilateral talk is taking place at a time when there is tension in West Asia due to joint action by Israel and America on Iran.
Initiative to bring strategic relations back on track
Carney’s visit to India in 2023 is being seen as an initiative to bring back on track the strategic relations weakened by the diplomatic dispute between the two countries. The Ministry of External Affairs has said that Carney’s visit is taking place at an important juncture in the normalization of India-Canada bilateral relations. In fact, in 2023, due to the allegation by the then Canadian PM Justin Trudeau of India’s involvement in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, relations between the two countries had reached an extremely low level.
Change came after the change of power
After the change of government in Canada in April last year, Carney started an initiative to improve relations with India. Only a few months later, both sides redeployed the High Commissioners. The PM, who reached Canada for the G-7 summit in June last year, had extensive talks with Carney on the sidelines of the conference. During this, both the countries had agreed to move ahead on CEPA.
There will be talk on Khalistani extremists
In the talks between PM Modi and Carney, there will also be discussion on curbing Khalistani extremists in Canada. Before visiting India, Carney has shown the government’s commitment to not allow its country’s soil to be used against India by initiating the process to revoke the Canadian citizenship of Mumbai terror attack mastermind Tahawwur Rana.
Why is CEPA special for both the countries?
India and Canada have set a target of increasing bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2030. Both countries have been working for CEPA since 2010 to increase bilateral trade. After the agreement, there will be lower duty on products like medicines, artificial jewellery, clothes exported from India, while Canada will get access to pulses in the Indian market.