Canada: Foreign minister Melanie Joly to visit India, hold talks with S Jaishankar

The new Indo-Pacific Strategy for Canada, which was unveiled in November of last year, and the current negotiations to conclude an Early Progress Trade Agreement will be among the primary agenda issues. Toronto: Next week, Melanie Joly, the foreign minister of Canada, will travel to India for personal encounters. Senior Canadian and Indian officials have confirmed that she will visit India on February 6 and 7, however the official schedule has not yet been made public. Among her other engagements during the trip is a bilateral with S. Jaishankar, the external affairs minister of India. Joly was previously planned to go in March for the G20 foreign ministers' conference and might possibly take part in the Raisina Dialogue, which was organised by the Observer Research Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs.The fact that she is departing sooner for a stand-alone bilateral, though, is a sign of the renewed importance the Trudeau administration has given to restarting the sluggish relationship. The new Indo-Pacific Strategy for Canada, which was unveiled in November of last year, and the current negotiations to conclude an Early Progress Trade Agreement will be among the top agenda issues (EPTA).

India is nonetheless worried about the pro-Khalistan activities in Canada, and the two voting rounds in the purportedly non-binding Punjab Referendum held by the separatist organisation Sikhs for Justice have angered New Delhi (SFJ). A top Indian official, however, stated that both parties are open to having a productive conversation to further the relationship. The state of affairs in Ukraine one year after Russia attacked that nation will also be a key topic of discussion. Joly was actually scheduled to travel to India in March of last year, but that trip was postponed as Canada's focus shifted to the war in Ukraine. On December 11, Joly and Jaishankar spoke. When the call was made, a senior Canadian official remarked, "Ministers look forward to beginning to date in 2023."They spoke on the new Indo-Pacific strategy throughout the exchange. Canada has made the Indo-Pacific Strategy the focal point of its interactions with the area, with India being viewed as a "key partner" and being of particular significance. "India's strategic relevance and leadership—both throughout the region and globally—will only expand as India—the world's largest democracy—becomes the world's most populous country and continues to build its economy," it was further said. Joly tweeted during the phone call that, since India holds the G20 presidency, New Delhi and Ottawa "intend to work together to develop our people-to-people connections and advance our common interests." During the summer of 2022, on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, the two ministers really met.