Did PM Modi Confirm His Participation in the G7 Summit with Canada's PM Mark Carney?

Ottawa/New Delhi, June 6 (NationPress) Prime Minister Narendra Modi engaged in a conversation with Canada's newly appointed PM Mark Carney on Friday, addressing a range of global challenges while accepting the invitation to the forthcoming G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month.

"I am pleased to have received a call from Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada. I congratulated him on his recent electoral success and expressed my gratitude for the invite to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis. As active democracies connected through strong people-to-people relationships, India and Canada will collaborate with renewed enthusiasm, founded on mutual respect and collective interests. I eagerly anticipate our meeting at the Summit," PM Modi shared on X following their discussion.

Canada, in its role as the G7 President this year, is set to host the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta from June 15 to 17.

The Group of Seven (G7) comprises an informal coalition of seven of the world's leading economies, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with the European Union.

Last year, PM Modi participated in the 50th G7 Summit in Apulia, Italy, where India was invited as an Outreach Country.

This visit marks the Prime Minister's initial overseas journey after commencing his third consecutive term.

It represents India's 11th appearance at the G7 Summit and PM Modi's fifth consecutive participation, where he has engaged with global leaders on critical issues pertinent to India and the Global South.

PM Carney's invitation to Kananaskis comes during his push to enhance economic collaboration with India.

Throughout his campaign, the Canadian Prime Minister emphasized that strengthening ties with India was a priority for his administration, highlighting it as an "incredibly important relationship".

He noted that Canadians maintain profound personal, economic, and strategic connections with India.

PM Modi had congratulated Carney on his election as Canada’s Prime Minister following the departure of his predecessor, Justin Trudeau.

In his message, PM Modi underscored the robust people-to-people ties between the two nations while expressing his eagerness to "unlock greater opportunities".

Recently, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar conversed with Anita Anand after her appointment as Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.

"Thank you Minister @DrSJaishankar for the fruitful dialogue today focused on enhancing Canada-India relations, boosting our economic partnership, and addressing shared objectives. I look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts," Anand tweeted on X.

With Carney at the helm, India seeks to rejuvenate bilateral relations that suffered during Trudeau's tenure amid unfounded allegations against New Delhi concerning the death of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023.

India-Canada relations experienced a significant downturn in 2023 after Trudeau publicly charged India with being involved in Nijjar's killing on Canadian territory, accusations that India labeled as "absurd" and "politically motivated".

Tensions heightened as Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, leading to reciprocal actions from India.

Both nations expelled senior diplomats, halted trade discussions, and suspended official visits.

India has accused Canada of permitting extremism within its borders and failing to address attacks against its diplomatic staff.