Canadian PM Mark Carney's upcoming visit to India is seen as pivotal for rebuilding trust and resetting ties. The focus is on broadening cooperation in trade, technology, energy, and defence, and consolidating the diplomatic reset initiated last year.
As diplomatic engagement between Canada and India gathers pace, expectations are high ahead of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's upcoming visit to the national capital. The visit comes at a crucial time, with both governments seeking to rebuild trust and broaden cooperation across multiple sectors.
A Pivotal Moment to Reset Ties
"Canada and India share a lot of things in common. We are both federal parliamentary democracies. And in that sense, as you may well know, the Indian constitution was inspired by the Canadian federal system. So I think we have a lot of things that we can cooperate on trade, on human resources, on critical minerals, on technology. So I think it's a very positive thing that India and Canada, which are middle powers in these very uncertain times, should be working together on a whole range of things, not only bilaterally, but also multilaterally," says Veena Nadjibullah, Vice President of Research and Strategy at the Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada.
The Asia-Pacific foundation engages in track two dialogues with India and has been at the forefront of a reset in ties after the souring of relationships during the Truedeau tenure. "Yes. So the foundation is dedicated to Canada-Asia relations. We have been working on Canada-India relations for a number of years. But in the last two years, we focused on achieving a reset in the relationship and re-establishing dialogue, including among, obviously, government channels, but also business, civil society. So we engage quite a bit. We've had a number of track two dialogues, track 1.5 dialogues in India multiple times a year. And I look forward to coming back again next week for Raisina," said Veena Nadjibullah.
Nadjibullah described the Canadia Prime Minister's visit as pivotal, "It is a very significant trip. It will allow to consolidate the reset that the two Prime Ministers initiated last year on the margins of the G7 here in Canada. It will also allow to elevate and expand the partnership. So elevate the relationship and expand the partnership in areas not only around economic and commercial engagement, but also cultural ties, technology, innovation discussions, educational ties, as well as people-to-people and defence ties. So it's a really robust agenda that the prime minister has."
Canadian PM Carney is expected to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior officials, alongside business leaders. Nadjibullah noted that he will outline Canada's broader foreign policy direction, referencing his recent remarks in Davos.
Expected Outcomes and Agreements
On deliverables, she pointed to progress on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and anticipated announcements across energy, education, and defence. "So there are a number of tracks. We will see some progress on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which both sides confirmed that they will be negotiating last year. So that's a really important discussion. Then we'll see some announcements in energy sector. We'll also see announcements in the education sector. We'll see most likely some MOUs and other things around the defense sector," she said.
She added that maritime security, AI, innovation, and technology cooperation are also likely to feature prominently.
More Than Agreements: Rebuilding Trust
She stressed that the visit is about more than agreements, "Most importantly, this is about rebuilding trust. This is about putting the relationship on a new footing. This is about sharing Canada's foreign policy, new approach to partnerships. And India is going to be a big part of that."
"Ottawa has a really strong focus on diversification, as does New Delhi. This relationship needed to be put back on the right track anyways. But of course, now that we have the Trump accelerator in play, there is even more urgency behind building relationships that are reliable, that are trustworthy, and that benefit the national interests of both countries," she added.
Prime Minister's Itinerary
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to India, , Australia and Japan from February 26 to March 7, an official statement from Carney's office said on Monday.The focus during his visit will be on businesses across trade, energy, technology, and defence. (ANI)
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