India, Canada Seek to Deepen Strategic Ties; Modi Meets Foreign Minister Anita Anand

India is stepping up efforts to strengthen its strategic and economic partnerships with Canada, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand on Wednesday to advance bilateral cooperation amid renewed diplomatic engagement between the two countries. Modi and Anand discussed ways to strengthen India-Canada relations across trade, technology, defence, security, energy, education and people-to-people exchanges, according to an official release. The Prime Minister described the meeting as productive and reiterated India's commitment to developing a forward-looking partnership with Canada. “India is committed to building a constructive and forward-looking strategic partnership with Canada that delivers tangible benefits to the people of both countries,” he said. The Prime Minister's Office said both sides emphasised the need to maintain momentum in bilateral engagement and translate recent diplomatic progress into concrete outcomes. An early conclusion of negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was identified as an important priority. The meeting followed a telephone conversation between Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday, highlighting continued high-level engagement as the two countries work to rebuild and broaden their bilateral ties. Modi conveyed his greetings to Carney and expressed his intention to continue engaging with him. In a statement, the Canadian High Commission said Anand and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had discussed the positive momentum in the renewed Canada-India Strategic Partnership, supported by sustained high-level engagement over the past year. Anand also highlighted the importance Canada attaches to India as a partner, particularly amid growing geopolitical uncertainty. In a parallel development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Canada in December 2026, ahead of the G20 Summit in the United States. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office confirmed the visit following a telephone conversation between the two leaders on October 13. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to concluding negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) at the earliest opportunity, with the proposed visit expected to provide further momentum to efforts to strengthen bilateral trade and strategic cooperation.