Manila | External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday held talks on bilateral ties with his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand, focusing on cooperation and common goals.
On the margins of meetings related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Manila, Jaishankar also held talks with his counterparts from the US, China, Russia, Australia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and New Zealand, covering key sectors such as maritime security, defence and trade.
Jaishankar's meeting with the Canadian foreign minister comes days after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said investigators probing the 2023 killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada have found no evidence linking Indian government officials to the murder.
However, it was not immediately clear whether the case of Nijjar or the issue of pro-Khalistani activists surfaced in the talks between the two foreign ministers on Wednesday.
"Appreciate the discussion with Canada FM @AnitaAnandMP this afternoon. India-Canada cooperation has been steadily growing. Our conversation focused on achieving the goals for the relationship set by our Prime Ministers," Jaishankar said in a social media post after the meeting.
India-Canada ties witnessed a slide after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made sensational allegations in 2023 linking the Indian government to Nijjar's killing outside a Gurudwara in British Columbia. New Delhi dismissed those allegations as "absurd".
The ties deteriorated further after India accused Ottawa of allowing pro-Khalistani elements to operate from Canadian soil.
In October 2024, India recalled its high commissioner and five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to link them to the Nijjar case. India also expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats.
However, Liberal Party leader Mark Carney's victory in the parliamentary election in April 2025 helped rebuild the relations. Subsequently, both sides posted their high commissioners in each other's capitals. The two countries also agreed to revive several mechanisms to advance relations in a range of areas.
The relations have witnessed a major upswing since Prime Minister Carney visited India in March.
