Bilateral discussions spanning trade, investment, education, energy, defence, and people-to-people exchanges brought External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar together with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand in New Delhi on Wednesday, as the two officials assessed the current state of ties between their countries. The two ministers also covered regional and global matters of shared interest, with talks turning to concrete steps for deepening the bilateral Strategic Partnership.
Jaishankar, in a public statement, noted the welcome nature of Anand's visit. In a post on X, he stated that the partnership was advancing through sustained engagement across government and industry.
Bilateral cooperation spanning trade, investment, education, energy, defence, and people-to-people exchanges was assessed during the meeting. The two sides also discussed a range of matters unfolding at both the regional and international levels.
The encounter followed a phone call between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, during which both leaders expressed intent to build on the current state of bilateral ties and work toward tangible outcomes in areas of shared cooperation. Modi described the exchange with his counterpart as cordial and productive, noting that both sides had committed to pursuing concrete outcomes across trade, energy, technology, security, and people-to-people connections. His statement further indicated that the two nations were jointly advancing a more stable and prosperous world.
Queried about the exchange between the two leaders, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters on Wednesday that Prime Minister Carney had travelled to India some months prior and that the bilateral relationship had been gaining constructive momentum across trade, investment, energy, technology, and security, all of which featured in the conversation the two prime ministers held. Separately, a statement from the Canadian Prime Minister's Office indicated that the leaders welcomed the deepened engagement seen over the past year and reaffirmed their intent to bring negotiations on the India-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement to a conclusion at the earliest opportunity.
Under the agreement, both sides set a target of doubling the volume of trade exchanged between them by 2030. Both leaders expressed support for the Team Canada Trade Mission currently under way in India, and their conversation ranged across the effects of geopolitical instability throughout the Indo-Pacific, along with the value placed on reliable partners in the energy and agriculture sectors.
A bilateral security conversation convened in India the week prior received their endorsement as part of continuing engagement between national security adviser counterparts on matters of security and law enforcement. Carney expressed gratitude to Modi for the role the Indian leader had taken in pushing toward a negotiated end to the fighting in Ukraine. Ongoing communication between the two leaders was set to continue as Modi's December trip to Canada drew nearer.
Trade talks between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Maninder Sidhu, who oversees International Trade on the Canadian side, centred on the current state of CEPA negotiations. Goyal indicated that India-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement talks were focused on reaching an arrangement that would serve both sides equitably, with negotiators working toward broader market access and expanded openings for trade and investment between the two countries. In a post, Goyal expressed the view that the CEPA would inject new energy into bilateral trade and deepen economic ties between the two sides toward mutual prosperity.
Sidhu is travelling to India heading a corporate delegation of roughly 300 participants, representing the largest trade mission of its kind that Canada has sent to the country in thirty years. Talks between delegation members are under way on possible collaborative ventures spanning six industries — aerospace, clean energy, technology, life sciences, agri-food, and forestry. Sidhu described talks on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement as an active priority, with the aim of broadening pathways for Canadian businesses and workers.
Anand arrived in India on Tuesday. India's Ministry of External Affairs characterised her arrival as part of an ongoing pattern of high-level diplomatic contact, extending a formal welcome to her on the occasion of the visit. The ministry noted that Anand's trip marked a third such visit since June 2025, describing the pattern of contact as an indication of ongoing engagement between the two countries, and adding that both sides stood to build on recent developments in the bilateral relationship.
