Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand's Upcoming India Visit Signals Diplomatic Reset Between Nations

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand is planning to visit India next month for a meeting with External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, according to sources who informed NDTV. This October visit will mark the first ministerial-level exchange between the two countries since diplomatic relations deteriorated in 2023, when the previous Justin Trudeau administration alleged Indian involvement in assassination plots targeting Sikh separatist leaders on Canadian territory.

The specific dates for this diplomatic engagement have not yet been confirmed, with officials from both nations still coordinating to finalize the schedule.

This diplomatic development follows a significant improvement in bilateral relations after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in June this year. Since that high-level encounter, both countries have been actively working to rebuild their diplomatic ties.

In a positive step forward, India's newly appointed high commissioner to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, officially assumed his position during a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday. This follows several high-level visits by Canadian officials in recent months.

Further signaling a diplomatic thaw, New Delhi indicated last week that it might restore Canada's full diplomatic presence in India, over two years after revoking diplomatic protections for approximately two-thirds of Canadian envoys, which resulted in 41 diplomats departing in October 2023.

The Indian foreign ministry stated last Friday that both nations have "decided to constructively address capacity-related issues at their respective missions and consulates."

The relationship between India and Canada reached its lowest point following then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's 2023 allegations suggesting India's possible involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In October last year, India recalled its high commissioner along with five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to connect them to the Nijjar case. India also expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats in response.

However, the victory of Liberal Party leader Mark Carney in the Canadian parliamentary election this April has initiated a process of diplomatic reset between the two nations.