NEW DELHI: Canada on Tuesday promised to take the threats posed by radical elements seriously, even as both countries committed to have much closer relations in the energy sector.
Visiting Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird told External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during the second round of the strategic dialogue that he personally recalled with pain of the 1985 Kanishka air tragedy, blamed on Sikh terrorists, as there were many casualties from his neighbourhood.
“And he (Baird) acknowledged that since then Canada has come a long way in acting against terrorists. So, he acknowledged our concerns in terms of radical elements perhaps misusing opportunities available in Canada,” said External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin. The Canadian Foreign Minister said his country took the “threat of incitement” very seriously and was committed to containing it.
Sri Lanka featuredin talks when Commonwealth issues came up, and Baird explained why his country had boycotted the meeting of the heads of Commonwealth nations in Colombo last year.