Made for each other: Modi, Trudeau look to reinvigorate India, Canada ties

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India and Canada were “made for each other” during his meeting with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of Nuclear Security Summit hosted by the US in Washington. In their meeting the two leaders reviewed bilateral ties including the progress on nuclear cooperation. “This was their first meeting after Trudeau came to power last year,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. Mr Modi also congratulated Mr Trudeau on his fantastic win in the November elections. It’s no surprise Mr Modi commented on the “new energy, dynamism and speed” in bilateral relations after Mr Trudeau became Prime Minister in November 2015.

Both the countries are “ready to resume discussions” on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agreement (FIPA) as progress in negotiations for both was slowed down in recent years. Mr Modi, during his Canada visit last year, held extensive discussion with then Canadian Premier Stephen Harper after which Canada had agreed to supply 3,000 metric tonnes of uranium to India under a $254 million five-year deal to power Indian reactors. “During the meeting, Prime Minister Modi noted that the cooperation in the nuclear energy sector was “progressing very well”, Mr Swarup said. Last year’s agreement for uranium supply came two years after protracted negotiations following the 2013 civil nuclear deal between India and Canada.

“The two leaders undertook to advance the longstanding relations between the two countries, which are built on shared traditions of democracy and pluralism as well as extensive people-to-people ties. They also discussed cooperation on increasing trade and investment links and addressing climate change,” Mr Trudeau’s office said in a statement after the first formal bilateral meeting. The Canadian PM praised India for its renewable energy targets and its thrust on clean energy.

Mr Trudeau has also accepted an invitation from Mr Modi to visit India. However, no date has been released for Mr Trudeau’s India visit.

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