New Delhi, Oct 14 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand here on Wednesday, with the two sides underscoring the importance of “sustaining the momentum” in high-level bilateral engagement and translating it into tangible outcomes.
They also appreciated the progress towards an “early conclusion” of negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
The Canadian foreign minister, who is on a working visit to India, on Wednesday also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said they had a productive discussion on further strengthening India-Canada ties in trade, technology and energy.
During her meeting with Jaishankar in Delhi, the ministers underlined the importance of “sustaining the momentum in high-level engagement between the two countries and translating it into tangible outcomes”.
The meeting reaffirmed the commitment of both sides to pursuing a “constructive and forward-looking partnership” that delivers tangible benefits for the people of India and Canada, the MEA said.
During the meeting, the two ministers reviewed ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral relations and advance cooperation across key areas of the India-Canada strategic partnership.
“They had detailed exchange of views on enhancing security and defence cooperation, as well as expanding energy cooperation,” the statement said.
They also discussed opportunities to deepen their economic partnership, expand bilateral trade and advance collaboration in education, science and technology, people-to-people ties and multilateral fora, it said.
They exchanged perspectives on regional and global developments of mutual interest.
Modi, after a telephonic conversation with his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, on Tuesday, said he had a “warm and productive” conversation with him, and both leaders agreed to build on the “positive momentum” in bilateral ties.
Later, a statement from Carney’s office said that the two PMs reaffirmed their commitment to conclude negotiations on a CEPA at the earliest opportunity, supporting efforts to double two-way trade by 2030.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in response to a query during his bi-weekly media briefing, said the fifth round of negotiations happened in Ottawa, a week ago or so, and both sides remain committed to a mutually beneficial CEPA.
(PTI News)
