New Delhi, Oct 16 The dates of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Canada are currently “under discussion” between the two sides, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.
MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, during his bi-weekly media briefing, was asked to confirm reports suggesting the dates of the forthcoming visit in December.
“We had the foreign minister of Canada in Delhi. She visited a few days back. She met the external affairs minister. They had a bilateral conversation. She also called on the Prime Minister. During the visit, the prime minister’s visit to Canada came up for discussion. The dates for the visit are presently under discussion, and we will announce the visit at the appropriate time,” he said.
However, the Indian High Commission in Canada, in a late night (IST) post on X on Thursday, had said that “Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi will visit Canada on 11-12 December 2026.”
Asked to clarify if the visit dates were still in the works, the MEA spokesperson said the dates are “currently under discussion” between the two sides.
The High Commission in its post had also shared a link to a report by a Canadian media outlet which cited Prime Minister Mark Carney confirming that Prime Minister Modi is expected to visit Canada on December 11 and 12.
Carney also said the visit would take place in Toronto and Ottawa. “We’ll see if we can broaden it out,” he had added.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand in Delhi on Wednesday, with the two sides underscoring the importance of “sustaining the momentum” in high-level bilateral engagement and translating it into tangible outcomes.
The Canadian foreign ministry, in a readout, had said Minister Anand highlighted the “importance that Canada places on India as a valuable partner, particularly at a time of geopolitical uncertainty”.
After a telephonic conversation with Carney, Modi in a post on X on October 13, had said that together, India and Canada are contributing towards a “more stable and prosperous world.”
“Had a warm and productive conversation with Prime Minister Mark Carney. We agreed to build on the positive momentum in India-Canada ties and work towards concrete outcomes across key areas of our Strategic Partnership, including trade, energy, technology, security and people-to-people ties,” he said.
A statement from Carney’s office earlier said that the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to conclude negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) at the earliest opportunity, supporting efforts to double two-way trade by 2030.
India and Canada will hold the next round of negotiations on the proposed free trade agreement in early November here, according to the Union commerce ministry.
Chief negotiators from the two countries concluded the fifth round of negotiations for the CEPA on October 9 in Canada.
The next round will be held here in early November, the ministry said.
(PTI News)
