India-Canada Tensions: Despite "credible allegations" of the Indian government's involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that Canada is still dedicated to forging better ties with India. In light of India's growing global importance, Trudeau stated that it is "extremely important" for Canada and its allies to maintain their relations with India.
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"India is a growing economic power and important geopolitical player. And as we presented with our Indo-Pacific strategy, just last year, we're very serious about building closer ties with India," Trudeau said during the press conference in Montreal on Thursday.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Canada is still dedicated to forging better ties with India. (Image credits: Reuters)
"At the same time, obviously, as a rule of law country, we need to emphasize that India needs to work with Canada to ensure that we get the full facts of this matter," news agency ANI quoted Trudeau as saying citing National Post.
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Meanwhile, Candian PM said that he got assurances from the US that Secretary of State Antony Blinken would be raising the allegations made publicly about India's role in Nijjar's murder during a meeting with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar.
India-Canada Row: EAM Jaishankar And Antony Blinken Hold Talks
Amid ongoing diplomatic tensions between India and Canada, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his US counterpart Antony Blinken held talks on several issues, including key outcomes of India’s G20 presidency on Thursday. Earlier, it was expected that the India and Canada issue would be a significant discussion between Jaishankar and Blinken. However, Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing did not come up during the talks.
Canada's Accusations Against India
The already strained relationship between India and Canada hit a new low after the Canadian PM recently made an explosive statement alleging the Indian government of being involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. However, India has outrightly rejected the claims, calling it 'absurd' and 'motivated'.
(With Inputs From Agencies)