India and Canada have agreed to conclude negotiations for a bilateral free trade pact by the end of this year, according to a statement from India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France.
Leaders Commit to Year-End CEPA Conclusion
Modi and Carney met for the fourth time in less than a year, underscoring their commitment to bilateral ties, Modi said in a post on X. The two leaders reaffirmed concluding the negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) this year, the MEA stated. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in an X post that both leaders reviewed "excellent progress" in bilateral engagement and discussed building a stronger partnership driven by trade, energy, innovation, education and people-to-people exchanges. They reaffirmed a "forward-looking strategic partnership" and underscored the importance of resilient and reliable supply chains for global energy and food security, according to the MEA statement.
Energy and Critical Minerals Cooperation Progress Reviewed
The leaders reviewed progress in economic cooperation, including commercial arrangements relating to LNG, LPG and metallurgical coal. Earlier, during Carney's visit to India from February 27 to March 2, the two countries sealed key pacts on supplies of Uranium and critical minerals and agreed to conclude a comprehensive economic partnership agreement soon. At that time, they also pledged to ramp up cooperation in defence, critical technologies, small and modular nuclear reactors, education and renewable energy.
Strengthening Institutional Engagement and New Platforms
At the G7 sidelines meeting, the leaders welcomed growing institutional engagement, including recent meetings of the Joint Science and Technology Committee and the Consular Dialogue, and looked forward to dialogues in defence, finance and migration. They also noted ongoing collaboration under the Canada-India Talent and Innovation Strategy and announced the establishment of Raisina Americas as a platform to further strengthen dialogue, exchanges and cooperation. Modi expressed support for Canada becoming a Dialogue Partner of the Indian Ocean Rim Association, the MEA statement said.
| Cooperation Area | Status/Details |
|---|---|
| Trade | CEPA negotiations to conclude by year-end |
| LNG, LPG, Metallurgical coal | Commercial arrangements reviewed |
| Uranium and Critical minerals | Pacts signed during Carney's India visit |
| Defence, Critical technologies | Pledged to ramp up cooperation |
| Small and modular nuclear reactors | Cooperation pledged |
| Education, Renewable energy | Cooperation pledged |
| Talent and Innovation Strategy | Ongoing collaboration |
| Raisina Americas | New platform announced |
Background: Repairing Ties After 2023 Allegations
The bilateral relationship hit rock bottom following allegations by then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2023 of a potential Indian link to the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. After Mark Carney became prime minister in March last year, the two sides initiated a series of measures to rebuild relations. The current meeting reflects sustained diplomatic momentum, with both leaders expressing satisfaction at the ground covered since their last meeting.
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