PM Modi Meets Canadian PM, Calls India-Canada Ties "Extremely Important"
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said relations between India and Canada are "extremely important" as he held talks with his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney on the margins of the G7 Summit here.
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Prime Minister Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Carney Hold First Bilateral Meeting at G7 Summit
Kananaskis, Canada:
During their first encounter since Carney took office in May 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized on Tuesday that India-Canada relations are "extremely important" and advocated for collaborative efforts to achieve mutual benefits across various sectors.
The two leaders engaged in bilateral discussions on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada. Following Carney's recent electoral victory, PM Modi extended his congratulations and expressed confidence in their future cooperation.
"I firmly believe that India-Canada relations are extremely important, and our nations should collaborate to achieve win-win cooperation in numerous areas," Prime Minister Modi stated before their bilateral meeting.
Sharing my remarks during meeting with PM @MarkJCarney of Canada. https://t.co/rPd42cqsbv
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 17, 2025
The Indian Prime Minister highlighted the substantial investments Canadian companies have made in India, as well as significant Indian investments in Canada.
"We both uphold democratic values. Together, we can strengthen these values and benefit humanity," PM Modi remarked, adding that collaborative utilization of resources would enable them to "work for the welfare of the entire humanity."
"I am extremely confident that we'll be able to accomplish this task," said PM Modi, who visited Canada at Carney's invitation to attend the G7 Summit.
"Had an excellent meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney. Complimented him and the Canadian Government for successfully hosting the G7 Summit," PM Modi later shared on X.
"India and Canada are connected by a strong belief in democracy, freedom and rule of law. PM Carney and I look forward to working closely to add momentum to the India-Canada friendship. Areas like trade, energy, space, clean energy, critical minerals, fertilisers and more offer immense potential in this regard," he added.
In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Carney expressed that hosting PM Modi at the G7 was a great honor.
He noted India's G7 participation since 2018, describing it as a "testament to the importance of your country, to your leadership, and to the importance of the issues that we look to tackle together - from energy security, from the energy transition that you're hoping to lead, to the future of artificial intelligence, to the fight that we have against transnational repression, against terrorism, against other factors, and the work that we can do together."
"It is my great honour to have you here. I enjoyed your intervention just now and look forward to our discussion," Carney stated.
PM Modi expressed his pleasure at visiting Canada after a decade, having last visited in 2015.
"India is the largest democracy in the world. During our chair of the G20 Summit, we took many initiatives for the welfare of the world, and today we are extending that resolve through the G7 summit and going to execute it through the help of this platform as well."
Modi described the summit as an excellent opportunity "to serve the public good, the global good. It has always been India's intention to promote global goods, and today through G7 we have that same opportunity."
Carney's invitation to PM Modi signaled the new Canadian government's desire to repair bilateral relations that had deteriorated following the killing of pro-Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
In October last year, India recalled its high commissioner and five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to link them to the Nijjar case, while expelling an equal number of Canadian diplomats.
India had accused former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government of permitting pro-Khalistani elements to operate from Canadian soil.
Carney, an economist new to politics, became Canada's prime minister in March following Trudeau's departure.
Following Trudeau's exit, New Delhi expressed hope for rebuilding relations with Canada based on "mutual trust and sensitivity".
In recent months, security officials from both countries have resumed contact, and both sides have been exploring the possibility of appointing new high commissioners.
India's external affairs ministry described both nations as "vibrant democracies" last week, stating that the meeting between the prime ministers at the G7 Summit would provide an important opportunity to exchange views and "explore pathways" to reset bilateral ties.
During Modi's previous visit in 2015, bilateral relations were elevated to a strategic partnership.
The bilateral trade in goods for 2024 amounted to USD 8.6 billion, with India exporting USD 4.2 billion and importing USD 4.4 billion. Services trade stood at USD 14.3 billion, with India exporting USD 2.5 billion and importing USD 11.8 billion.