'Modi's Visit To Canada In December Will Be Another Building Block'

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has met his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand in Atlanta and agreed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Canada in December will be another "building block" in ties between the two countries.

Jaishankar met Anand on Friday on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

Both the leaders also assessed the “steady growth” in India-Canada cooperation.

According to an official statement, "the ministers agreed that Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Canada in December will be another building block in the two countries' ambitious relationship."

They also "agreed" to stay in close contact ahead of the visit, it said.

Earlier this month, during her visit to India, Canadian Foreign Minister Anand met Prime Minister Modi, and she said they had a productive discussion on further strengthening India-Canada ties in trade, technology and energy.

On October 16, the Indian High Commission in Ottawa said Prime Minister Modi will visit Canada on December 11 and 12.

The date of the visit was also confirmed by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Carney had said he spoke to Modi and the visit will take place in Toronto and Ottawa. “We’ll see if we can broaden it out,” he said earlier this month.

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 Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India then dismissed Trudeau's accusation as "absurd".

Carney’s victory in the parliamentary election in April last year helped rebuild relations. The two countries also agreed to revive several mechanisms to advance relations in a range of areas.

The relations witnessed a major upswing since Canadian Prime Minister Carney’s visit to India in March.