PM Modi and Canadian PM Mark Carney Hold First Meeting at G7 Summit

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for the first time during the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, after Carney recently took office. Both leaders agreed to restart trade talks between India and Canada. They plan to first work on an Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA), and later aim for a full trade deal through a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

They also agreed to bring back normal diplomatic ties by quickly restoring the presence of High Commissioners in each other’s countries. The leaders said it’s important to resume high-level meetings soon to rebuild trust and work together again.

Modi and Carney discussed many shared interests such as clean energy, critical minerals, natural gas, artificial intelligence, education, food security, digital change, and people’s movement between the countries. They also agreed to support peace and openness in the Indo-Pacific region and praised the G7’s work on climate action.

This meeting marks a big step in easing tensions that began in 2023, when Canada accused India of being involved in the killing of a Khalistani separatist, claims that India strongly denied. Since then, diplomatic ties became strained, trade talks stopped, and visa services were suspended for a while.

Separately, during a meeting with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides, PM Modi called for a five-year plan to strengthen ties between India and Cyprus. Both countries agreed to boost cooperation in defence, cyber and maritime security, and intelligence sharing. Cyprus also supported India’s bid for permanent membership in a reformed UN Security Council.