‘Moment of much-needed reset’: Lawmaker Sahney on PM Modi-Carney meet

New Delhi, June 18
Member of Parliament from Punjab, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, on Wednesday welcomed the agreement between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to restore diplomatic representation by appointing new High Commissioners for both nations at the G7 Summit.

Calling it a “moment of much-needed reset,” Sahney said that this positive step would greatly ease the hardships faced by Indian citizens, especially the NRI brothers and sisters, who have long awaited regular and timely visa services to visit their families and homeland.

Emphasising the economic implications of this renewed engagement, Sahney stated that with over $8.2 billion in bilateral goods trade in 2024 and Canadian investments exceeding $55 billion in India, there is vast scope to expand cooperation.

“India imports over 63 per cent of its potash from Canada and is a major consumer of lentils and edible oils sourced from there. With restored diplomatic normalcy, we must energise this economic corridor to serve the interests of both nations,” Sahney said in a statement here.

On the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis in Canada, Prime Minister Modi met with Canadian counterpart Mark Carney in a pivotal bilateral meeting aimed at reviving strained ties between the two nations.

According to India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, the two leaders had a “very positive and constructive meeting” and agreed on “calibrated steps” to bring stability back to the relationship.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada have just a short while ago concluded a very positive and constructive meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit here in Kananaskis in Canada,” Misri said.

The meeting underscored the mutual desire to strengthen India-Canada ties, which have seen recent tensions.

“The meeting discussed the importance of the India-Canada relationship, which is based on shared values, democracy and the rule of law, people-to-people contact and many other commonalities,” Misri added.

As an initial move, both leaders agreed to restore high commissioners to each other's capitals at the earliest opportunity.

“The Prime Ministers agreed to take calibrated steps to restore stability to this very important relationship, and the first of these steps that was agreed on was to restore high commissioners to each other's capitals at an early date. Other diplomatic steps will follow in due course,” Misri added.