Amid tensions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Laos on Friday. Trudeau said he had a “brief exchange” with Modi at the summit.
Reportedly, sources familiar with the matter said that there was “no substantive discussion” between both the leaders in Vientiane. Sources added that the two leaders only greeted each other when they met in Laos.
Meanwhile, while quoting Trudeau, CBC News reported, "I emphasised that there is work that we need to do."
"I won't go into details about what we talked about but what I've said many times is that the safety of Canadians and upholding the rule of law is one of the fundamental responsibilities of any Canadian government and that's what I'll stay focused on," Trudeau told a press conference at Vientiane.
The India-Canada relations became strained after Trudeau alleged New Delhi's involvement in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June last year.
India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020 and had rejected Trudeau's allegations as "absurd" and "baseless".
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India had criticised and maintained its stand that Canada giving space to pro-Khalistan elements in the country with impunity is an issue between both countries.
Even after India refuted Canada’s allegations, Trudeau stood behind his stand and said, national security agencies and law enforcement continue to be deeply engaged on this issue.
On Thursday, Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, while testifying at the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference, said there is still a threat of more killings like Nijjar’s on Canadian soil.
She also added that India has been asked repeatedly to participate in the Canadian police investigation into Nijjar’d death but this hasn’t happened so far.
It was during the G7 Summit in Italy in June this year, that Modi had last met Trudeau since Canada’s allegations regarding Nijjar’s death. Then, Modi posted an image on social media of the two leaders shaking hands.