Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand has begun her first official two-day visit to India, with the primary goal of resetting diplomatic ties between the two nations.
According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, Anand’s visit is expected to “build on the positive momentum in India-Canada relations.” He shared this on X (formerly Twitter), along with a photo of Anand upon her arrival, stating, “A warm welcome to FM @AnitaAnandMP of Canada on her first official visit to New Delhi. This visit will help build on the positive momentum in India-Canada relations by revitalizing our bilateral mechanisms, deepening economic cooperation, and further strengthening the enduring people-to-people ties that anchor our partnership.”
During her stay, Minister Anand is scheduled to meet with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Monday in Delhi, followed by a meeting with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.
Canada’s foreign ministry highlighted that this visit signifies a mutual effort to establish a framework for strategic cooperation, focusing on trade diversification, energy transformation, and security.
Anand is also slated to visit Mumbai, where she will engage with Canadian and Indian companies actively involved in supporting investment, job creation, and economic opportunities in both countries.
This visit is particularly significant as it marks a step towards improving relations, especially considering the previous strain during Justin Trudeau’s tenure as Prime Minister. The visit also follows a bilateral meeting between Canada’s current Prime Minister Mark Carney and Indian Prime Minister Modi during the G7 summit in June.
Following her engagements in India, Minister Anand is expected to travel to China and Singapore. She expressed her outlook on these international partnerships, stating, “For Canada to be strong at home, we need strong, stable partnerships abroad. I am building bridges and increasing cooperation with India, Singapore and China. In line with Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, I will be working to advance efforts to position Canada as a trusted, reliable partner of choice for Indo-Pacific countries and their economies.”