Jaishankar meets Canada's Anita Anand, discusses bilateral cooperation and shared interests

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday met Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand in Manila to review bilateral ties, with both leaders discussing ways to advance cooperation and implement the shared objectives set by the prime ministers of the two countries.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of ministerial engagements linked to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), where Jaishankar also held separate discussions with his counterparts from the United States, China, Russia, Australia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and New Zealand. The talks covered a range of strategic issues, including maritime security, defence cooperation and trade.

Following his meeting with Anand, Jaishankar said the India-Canada partnership has been gaining momentum.

“Appreciate the discussion with Canada FM @AnitaAnandMP this afternoon. India-Canada cooperation has been steadily growing. Our conversation focused on achieving the goals for the relationship set by our Prime Ministers,” Jaishankar said in a social media post after the meeting.

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The talks came days after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said investigators examining the 2023 killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar had found no evidence linking officials of the Indian government to the murder.

However, there was no immediate indication that the Nijjar investigation or concerns relating to pro-Khalistani activities in Canada figured in Wednesday's discussions.

Relations between New Delhi and Ottawa had sharply deteriorated after former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged in 2023 that Indian agents were involved in Nijjar's killing outside a gurdwara in British Columbia. India rejected the allegations as "absurd" and accused Canada of providing space to pro-Khalistani extremists.

The diplomatic standoff intensified in October 2024 when India withdrew its high commissioner and five other diplomats after Canada sought to connect them to the Nijjar probe. New Delhi responded by expelling an equal number of Canadian diplomats.

Bilateral ties began to recover after Liberal Party leader Mark Carney assumed office following Canada's parliamentary elections in April 2025. Since then, both countries have restored high commissioners and agreed to revive several bilateral dialogue mechanisms to strengthen cooperation across multiple sectors.

The relationship has gathered further momentum in recent months, with both sides signalling a willingness to move beyond past tensions and expand engagement on issues of mutual interest.

With inputs from agencies