NEW DELHI: India and Canada on Monday agreed to restore and upgrade bilateral relations through renewed ministerial-level talks, a revived energy dialogue, and a fresh push on trade and technology cooperation.
The announcements followed a high-profile meeting in New Delhi between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, who is on an official visit to India.
The joint statement issued after the talks described the renewed partnership as critical amid “ongoing global economic uncertainty and rising geopolitical tensions,” adding that closer cooperation between the two democracies would help build more resilient supply chains, promote strategic stability, and create economic opportunities.
This marks a significant shift in tone after a period of diplomatic chill and follows months of careful re-engagement, beginning with the June meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of the G7 Summit. Since then, both countries have appointed new High Commissioners and reactivated dormant bilateral mechanisms.
Anand, who also met with Prime Minister Modi during her visit, emphasised that the two countries were “elevating the relationship” while continuing their dialogue on security and law enforcement. Modi, in turn, welcomed Anand’s visit as an opportunity to “infuse fresh momentum” into ties and deepen collaboration across trade, energy, technology, agriculture, and people-to-people engagement.
A key outcome of the meeting was the decision to re-establish the Canada-India Ministerial Energy Dialogue (CIMED). Both sides committed to deeper cooperation on clean and secure energy, including investments in oil and gas exploration, green hydrogen, biofuels, and carbon capture technologies. The dialogue also aims to strengthen power grid stability, share best practices on emission reduction and disaster resilience, and explore joint work on electric mobility and digital transformation in the energy sector.
Speaking after the meeting, Jaishankar said the recent developments marked “an important step in addressing our security concerns” and underscored the broad convergence between the two nations. “When we see Canada, we see a complementary economy, an open society, diversity, and pluralism, all of which form the basis of close cooperation,” he said.
Anand echoed the optimism in a post on X, noting that the visit builds on the momentum created by Prime Minister Carney’s outreach and signals a renewed commitment to a stronger bilateral framework.
The reset is being closely watched in both countries, particularly among the 1.7 million people of Indian origin living in Canada. Tensions in recent years had cast a shadow over trade negotiations and other aspects of the relationship, but the resumption of structured dialogue is seen as a sign of political will on both sides to move forward.
