New Delhi, Oct. 14 -- Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said they had a productive discussion on further strengthening India-Canada ties in trade, technology and energy.
Modi said India is committed to building a constructive and forward-looking strategic partnership with Canada that delivers tangible benefits to the people of both countries.
"Pleased to meet Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand. We had a productive discussion on further strengthening India-Canada ties in trade, technology, security, energy, education and people-to-people exchanges," he said in a post on X.
In a statement, the prime minister's office said during the meeting, Modi and Anand discussed ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral ties and expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including trade, science and technology, defence, security, energy, education, people-to-people ties and multilateral cooperation.
Modi emphasised the importance of sustaining the momentum in bilateral engagement and translating it into tangible outcomes, including through early conclusion of negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
They also exchanged views on regional and global developments of mutual interest, the statement said.
Modi conveyed his warm greetings to his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney and said he looked forward to continuing their engagements.
The meeting came a day after Modi had a telephonic talk with Carney.
After Tuesday's telephonic talk with Carney, Modi said together, India and Canada are contributing towards a "more stable and prosperous world".
He said both the leaders agreed to build on the positive momentum in India-Canada ties and work towards concrete outcomes across key areas of Strategic Partnership, including trade, energy, technology, security and people-to-people ties.
A statement from Carney's office said that the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to conclude negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) at the earliest opportunity, supporting efforts to double two-way trade by 2030.
"They welcomed the historic Team Canada Trade Mission currently taking place in India, led by the Minister of International Trade, Maninder Sidhu, as well as a visit to New Delhi this week by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anita Anand, to advance shared priorities, including
trade, energy, and people-to-people ties," the Canadian PMO said.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand here on Wednesday, with the two sides underscoring the importance of "sustaining the momentum" in high-level bilateral engagement and translating it into tangible outcomes. They also appreciated the progress towards an "early conclusion" of negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
The Canadian foreign minister, who is on a working visit to India, on Wednesday also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said they had a productive discussion on further strengthening India-Canada ties in trade, technology and energy.
During her meeting with Jaishankar in Delhi, the ministers underlined the importance of "sustaining the momentum in high-level engagement between the two countries and translating it into tangible outcomes".
The meeting reaffirmed the commitment of both sides to pursuing a "constructive and forward-looking partnership" that delivers tangible benefits for the people of India and Canada, the MEA said.
During the meeting, the two ministers reviewed ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral relations and advance cooperation across key areas of the India-Canada strategic partnership.
"They had detailed exchange of views on enhancing security and defence cooperation, as well as expanding energy cooperation," the statement said.
They also discussed opportunities to deepen their economic partnership, expand bilateral trade and advance collaboration in education, science and technology, people-to-people ties and multilateral fora, it said.
They exchanged perspectives on regional and global developments of mutual interest.
Modi, after a telephonic conversation with his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, on Tuesday, said he had a "warm and productive" conversation with him, and both leaders agreed to build on the "positive momentum" in bilateral ties.
Later, a statement from Carney's office said that the two PMs reaffirmed their commitment to conclude negotiations on a CEPA at the earliest
opportunity, supporting efforts to double two-way trade by 2030.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in response to a query during his bi-weekly media briefing, said the fifth round of negotiations happened in Ottawa, a week ago or so, and both sides remain committed to a mutually beneficial CEPA.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.