Canadian Foreign Minister Anita in Delhi to reset ties, push strategic cooperation with India

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand arrived in New Delhi on Sunday, marking a key step in efforts to reset bilateral relations and build a framework for deeper strategic cooperation between India and Canada.

Anand, who is on her first official visit to India since assuming office, will hold talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.

The discussions are expected to focus on trade diversification, energy transformation, investment, and security cooperation. She is also scheduled to travel to Mumbai to meet Canadian and Indian business leaders to strengthen partnerships aimed at creating jobs and expanding economic opportunities in both countries.

Her visit comes amid a cautious thaw in relations that had hit a historic low following the 2023 diplomatic row between New Delhi and Ottawa over allegations linking India to the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia—a charge India dismissed as “absurd and motivated.” The fallout saw both countries expelling diplomats, suspending visa services, and freezing trade talks.

The leadership change in Ottawa earlier this year has since created an opening for rapprochement. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis in June helped lay the groundwork for rebuilding trust, followed by the revival of senior-level consultations in September.

Last month, National Security Advisers from both countries met in New Delhi, where counter-terrorism and organised crime dominated discussions. The meeting gained significance as India has repeatedly voiced concern over extremist groups operating from Canadian soil.

Just days after the NSA talks, Canada designated the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity, a move seen in New Delhi as an acknowledgment of India’s longstanding security concerns.

Officials said Anand’s visit is aimed at consolidating the momentum from recent high-level exchanges and exploring practical steps to rebuild trust through trade, security, and people-to-people links.

Diplomatic observers view the visit as a crucial opportunity for both sides to turn a page in a relationship tested by political turbulence and diaspora-linked tensions, and to re-anchor engagement on shared democratic and economic interests.