New Delhi:

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday said there is a commitment to work with India on some “very important issues” amid a massive diplomatic row. 

Justin Trudeau’s remarks come a day after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of G7 Summit in Italy on Friday.

“I’m not going to get into the details of this important, sensitive issue that we need to follow up, but this was a commitment to work together, in the coming times, to deal with some very important issues,” Trudeau told reporters.

PM Modi’s meeting with the Canadian counterpart comes amid strained ties after Canadian authorities alleged India’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. 

The two leaders earlier met at the G20 Summit hosted by India in September last year.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen who was wanted in India on various terror charges, was shot dead outside a Gurdwara in Surrey on June 18, 2023.

Canada’s charge against India sparked a massive row with both countries expelling diplomats of the other country.

Three Indians were arrested in Canada  in May in connection with Nijjar’s murder. India has said there are “political interests at work” in the matter and reiterated its position that separatists and extremists have been given political space in the country.

While Trudeau had claimed after the arrests that Canada is “a rule-of-law country” and the investigation into the murder is not limited to the three Indians, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that, despite warnings from Delhi, Canada has been issuing visas to people with links to organised crime.

India has been asserting that its “core issue” with Canada remained that of the space given to separatists, terrorists and anti-India elements in that country.

New Delhi:

The centre today said that no international norms were violated in India seeking parity in the mutual diplomatic presence in New Delhi and Ottawa. The statement came just hours after Canada withdrew 41 diplomats accusing India of violating the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

“We reject any attempt to portray the implementation of parity as a violation of international norms,” the external affairs ministry said in a statement.

“The state of our bilateral relations, the much higher number of Canadian diplomats in India, and their continued interference in our internal affairs warrant a parity in mutual diplomatic presence in New Delhi and Ottawa,” it added.

Earlier today, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly while announcing the departure of diplomats had said, “I can confirm that India has formally conveyed its plan to unethically remove diplomatic immunities for all but 21 Canadian diplomats and dependents in Delhi by tomorrow, October 20. This means 41 Canadian diplomats and their 42 dependents were in danger of having immunity stripped on an arbitrary date. And this would put their personal safety at risk.

“Immunities allow diplomats to do their work without fear of reprisal or arrests from the country they’re in. They are a fundamental principle of diplomacy and this is a two-way street. They only work if every country abides by the rules. A unilateral revocation of diplomatic privilege and immunities is contrary to international law. It is a clear violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and threatening to do so is unreasonable and escalatory,” she said.

Canada also paused all in-person services at the consulates in Mumbai, Chandigarh, and Bengaluru and urged its citizens in these three cities to exercise caution. All Canadians in India have been asked to contact the High Commission in New Delhi in case they need assistance.

India last month asked Canada to reduce its diplomatic presence after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cited what he said was credible evidence of a potential link between Indian agents and the murder of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India denies any connection to the shooting outside a Sikh temple in June.

New York City:

Alleging that the agents of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) were involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Canada, an independent blogger, Jennifer Zeng, has said that China’s “purpose was to frame India creating discord between India and the West”.

She also alleged that it was a part of the CCP’s sinister “Ignition Plan” to disrupt the world in line with Xi Jinping’s military strategy regarding Taiwan.

Jennifer Zeng is a Chinese born rights activist, journalist who is currently living in the US.

In a video posted on the social media platform, X, Zeng dubbed the killing of Nijjar as an assassination claiming, “Today shocking revelations about the ‘assassination ‘ of Sikh religious leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Canada have emerged from within the CCP. It is alleged that the ‘assassination’ was carried out by CCP agents.”

On 18 June 2023, Hardeep Nijjar, a designated terrorist in India, was shot and killed in the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia.

The independent blogger attributed her allegations to Chinese writer and YouTuber Lao Deng, who according to her, lives in Canada now.

“Lao stated that in early June this year as part of their disruption initiative ‘Ignition Plan’, the CCP Ministry of State Security sent a high-ranking official to Seattle, USA. A secret meeting was held there…The objective was to sabotage relations between India and the West,” Zeng claims in the video posted on X.

“The agents were tasked with assassinating Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Sikh leader in Canada. Following the meeting, the CCP agents meticulously executed the killing plan,” she claimed.

Explaining their modus operandi, the independent blogger alleges, “On June 18th, the agents armed with silenced guns tracked Nijjar. When the deed was done, they destroyed the dash camera in Nijjar’s Car to erase any evidence. After the crime, the agents fled, they burned their weapons and disguises to destroy all traces. The next day they left Canada in Airplanes.”

She also alleged that the killers even purposely learned Indian-accent English. “Therefore, they purposely spoke in India accent English…In fact, these actions were part of the scheme by CCP secret agent to frame India,” said Zeng.

She also claimed that Lao revealed that the CCP’s ‘ignition plan’ was devised this year after the CCP’s two sessions.

There has been no response to Jennifer Zeng’s allegations, posted in the video on Sunday afternonn (US time) from either the Chinese foreign ministry or the Ministry of External Affairs.

The diplomatic ties between India and Canada soured after the Canadian government expelled a senior Indian diplomat accusing India of playing a role in the killing of a Khalistani terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.

In the aftermath, India swiftly retaliated by issuing a statement that denied any involvement in the issue and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat. India has outrightly rejected the claims, calling it ‘absurd’ and ‘motivated’.

Amid escalating tensions, India has called for parity in the number of Canadian diplomats in India.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi earlier this month said that Canadian diplomatic presence is much higher in India and they assume “there would be reduction”.

“On discussions on parity, given the much higher presence of diplomats or diplomatic presence here and their interference in our internal matters, we have sought parity in our respective diplomatic presence. Discussions are ongoing to achieve this. Given that Canadian diplomatic presence is higher, we would assume that there would be a reduction,” said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
| Photo Credit: AP

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau have underscored the importance of de-escalation of the India-Canada diplomatic row and respect for the rule of law in a call, which was dominated by the standoff over the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada in June.

According to a Downing Street statement, the British Indian leader spoke to Mr. Trudeau on Friday evening during which he was updated on the situation relating to Canadian diplomats in India. Both leaders agreed to stay in contact as Mr. Sunak reaffirmed the U.K. position of respect for the rule of law after Canada‘s allegation of Indian involvement in the killing of a pro-Khalistan wanted terrorist.

“Prime Minister Trudeau updated on the situation relating to Canadian diplomats in India,” reads the Downing Street statement.

“The Prime Minister [Sunak] reaffirmed the U.K.’s position that all countries should respect sovereignty and the rule of law, including the principles of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. He hoped to see a de-escalation in the situation and agreed to remain in contact with Prime Minister Trudeau on the next steps,” it said.

The Canadian Prime Minister’s Office from Ottawa echoed the statement, saying that Mr. Trudeau provided an update on the current situation between Canada and India.

“The leaders emphasised respect for the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the need to ensure the safety and security of their citizens. They underscored the importance of de-escalation in this context. Prime Minister Trudeau and Prime Minister Sunak agreed to remain in close contact and to continue working together to tackle global issues,” the Canadian government statement reads.

The call comes in the wake of Mr. Trudeau’s statement in the Canadian Parliament last month that its security forces were “actively pursuing credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to the murder of Khalistan Tiger Force leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June, an allegation strongly rejected by India as “absurd and motivated”.

The telephonic talks between Mr. Sunak and Mr. Trudeau took place in the days after the fallout of that diplomatic row resonated in the U.K. when Indian High Commissioner to the U.K. Vikram Doraiswami was blocked from a planned visit to Glasgow Gurdwara in Scotland last week by pro-Khalistan extremists.

“Concerned to see that the Indian High Commissioner, Vikram Doraiswami, was stopped from meeting with the Gurudwara Committee at the Gurudwara in Glasgow. The safety and security of foreign diplomats is of utmost importance and our places of worship in the U.K. must be open to all,” Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the U.K. Foreign Office minister for Indo-Pacific wrote on X.

In recent developments, the Ministry External Affairs (MEA) said it has been coordinating with its mission in Ottawa and consulates in other Canadian cities over safety concerns.

“We have been taking up concerns of security of our diplomats and premises from people there who are wanted by our security and our judicial systems, and we will continue to do that as that is a continued conversation. The issue is about security, and our diplomats are safe and the community is not targeted,” said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in New Delhi.

India has also asserted that Canada must reduce its diplomatic presence in the country to achieve parity in strength and alleged that some of the Canadian diplomats are involved in interfering in New Delhi’s internal matters.

Mr. Bagchi said discussions on the modalities to arrive at mutual diplomatic presence are going on and gave clear indication that India will not review its position on the issue.

Ottawa:

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly on Tuesday said that the country wants “private talks with India to resolve a diplomatic dispute” over the killing of Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Reuters reported.

 “We are in contact with the government of India. We take Canadian diplomats’ safety very seriously and we will continue to engage privately because we think diplomatic conversations are best when they remain private,” Reuters quoted Joly as saying to reporters.

There is a strain in India-Canada relations following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations regarding the Indian government’s ‘potential role’ in the fatal shooting of Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Nijjar, who was a designated terrorist in India, was gunned down outside a Gurdwara, in a parking area in Canada’s Surrey, British Columbia on June 18.

Trudeau, during a debate in the Canadian Parliament, claimed his country’s national security officials had reasons to believe that “agents of the Indian government” carried out the killing of the Canadian citizen, who also served as the president of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara.

However, India has outrightly rejected the claims, calling it ‘absurd’ and ‘motivated’.

Notably, Canada has yet to provide any public evidence to support the claim about the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The country has said it wants to “work constructively with India” regarding the allegations.

Trudeau on Tuesday said that his country was not “looking to escalate the situation with India,” adding that Ottawa wants to remain on the ground in New Delhi to help Canadians, Reuters reported. 

“Canada is not looking to escalate the situation with India, will continue to engage responsibly and constructively with New Delhi. We want to be on the ground in India to help the Canadian families there,” Reuters quoted Trudeau as saying. 

Trudeau had said last week that Canada is still committed to building closer ties with India, despite “credible allegations of the Indian government’s involvement” in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canada-based National Post reported. India has rejected the claims as “absurd” and “motivated”.

Pointing to the increasing influence of India worldwide, Trudeau said that it is “extremely important” that Canada and its allies continue to engage with India.

“India is a growing economic power and important geopolitical player. And as we presented with our Indo-Pacific strategy, just last year, we’re very serious about building closer ties with India,” he had told reporters.

“At the same time, obviously, as a rule of law country, we need to emphasize that India needs to work with Canada to ensure that we get the full facts of this matter,” National Post quoted Trudeau as saying.

Toronto:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday said Canada was going through an “extremely challenging time” with India but asserted that Ottawa will continue to have “constructive relations” with New Delhi, amid the diplomatic row between the two countries over the killing of a Khalistani separatist.

Speaking to reporters in Ottawa, Mr Trudeau also said that it’s important for Canada to have diplomats on the ground in India, amid a report by London-based Financial Times that New Delhi wants as many as 41 of 62 remaining Canadian diplomats out of the country, the Toronto Sun newspaper reported.

“Obviously, we’re going through an extremely challenging time with India right now,” Mr Trudeau was quoted as saying by the Canadian newspaper.

He, however, did not confirm the FT report that India has asked Canada to withdraw 41 of 62 diplomats from the country.

Asked if his government would retaliate by asking India to remove diplomats based in Canada, Mr Trudeau insisted his government would try to keep working with New Delhi.

“We’re not looking to escalate, as I’ve said, we’re going to be doing the work that matters in continuing to have constructive relations with India through this extremely difficult time,” Mr Trudeau was quoted as saying by the state-run CBC News.

Tensions flared between India and Canada last month following Mr Trudeau’s allegations of “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia. India angrily rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”.

Nijjar was shot dead by two masked gunmen. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.

Last month, India asked Canada to downsize its diplomatic staff in the country, arguing that there should be parity in strength and rank equivalence in the mutual diplomatic presence. The size of Canadian diplomatic staff in India is larger than what New Delhi has in Canada.

India also asked Canada to come down hard on terrorists and anti-India elements operating from its soil and suspended visa services for Canadians.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told journalists in Washington last week that the governments of India and Canada will have to talk to each other and see how they resolve their differences over the issue and underlined that the larger issue of “permissiveness” must be flagged and addressed.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

 The US has said it is in close coordination with Canada on allegations regarding the Indian government’s involvement in the fatal shooting of Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

“We remain in close coordination with our Canadian colleagues on this question,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said while responding to a question related to Nijjar’s killing in Canada.

Miller’s remarks came during a daily press briefing on Monday (US local time).

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently alleged that the Indian government was behind the fatal shooting of Nijjar.

Nijjar, who was a designated terrorist in India, was gunned down outside a Gurdwara, in a parking area in Canada’s Surrey, British Columbia on June 18.

Trudeau, during a debate in the Canadian Parliament, claimed his country’s national security officials had reasons to believe that “agents of the Indian government” carried out the killing of the Canadian citizen, who also served as the president of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara.

However, India has outrightly rejected the claims, calling it ‘absurd’ and ‘motivated’.

Notably, Canada has yet to provide any public evidence to support the claim about the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Miller said the US has engaged with the Indian government on a number of occasions to urge them to cooperate with Canada’s investigation.

He said US State Secretary Antony Blinken had an opportunity to discuss the issue with Foreign Minister S Jaishankar during their meeting on Friday.

Meanwhile, Trudeau has said that Ottawa wants to “work constructively with India” regarding the allegations.

While addressing a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trudeau said, “In regards to India, Canada has shared the credible allegations that I talked about on Monday. With India, we did that many weeks ago. We are there to work constructively with India and we hope that they engage with us so that we can get to the bottom of this very serious matter.”

EAM Jaishankar recently said that the ongoing problem with Canada has been there for some years because of the “permissiveness” by the government regarding terrorism, extremism and violence in the country.

Mr Jaishankar said that the current situation can’t be termed a “deadlock”, adding that the Indian government is open to looking at any specific and relevant thing shared by the Canadian side in connection with the issue.

Addressing a press conference in Washington DC on Friday, Mr Jaishankar said, “Well, I don’t know if I would use the term deadlock…The issue is as follows: The Canadians have made some allegations. We have pointed out to them that this is not the Government of India’s policy and if they are prepared to share with us specifics and anything relevant, we are also open to looking at it. So in that sense, that’s where the matter stands”.

“But what we do not want to see is an incident treated in isolation because then that somewhere does not convey the right picture,” he added.

The EAM said that the ongoing problem with Canada is because of the “permissiveness” regarding terrorism, extremism and violence in the country.

India has suspended its visa services in Canada, following Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau’s allegations of Indian involvement in the killing.

Amid strained ties, India issued an advisory for its citizens and those who are travelling to Canada to exercise “utmost caution in view of growing anti-India activities and politically-condoned hate crimes and criminal violence” in the country.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said India and Canada should talk to each other to resolve their differences over the death of a Khalistani separatist, but the larger issue of the Canadian government’s “permissiveness” to terrorism, extremism and violence must be flagged and addressed.

During an interaction with Indian journalists here on Friday, he said India was ready to look into the information related to Canada’s allegations of the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia.

“The issue is as follows, which is that the Canadians have made some allegations. We have pointed out to them that this is not the government of India’s policy, but if they are prepared to share with us specifics and anything relevant, we are also open to looking at it. So in that sense, that’s where the matter stands,” Mr Jaishankar said.

“But what we do not want to see is an incident treated in isolation because then that somewhere does not convey the right picture,” he said.

“Let’s not normalise what is happening in Canada. What is happening in Canada, had it happened anywhere else, do you think the world would’ve taken it with equanimity?” he asked.

S Jaishankar said India has had an ongoing problem with Canada and its government for some years now, and the problem really revolves around the “permissiveness” regarding terrorism, extremism, and violence.

“This permissiveness is also reflected in the fact that some important extradition requests have not been responded to from their side, in the fact that there are individuals and organisations who are clearly involved with violence and illegal activities in India who themselves declared it. I mean, it is not a secret that they continue to carry on with their activities in Canada,” he said.

Mr Jaishankar said one of the problems is that no incident is isolated and in totality, as there is a context for everything.

“There are multiple problems out there. So, I guess in the case of individual incidents, the concerned governments will have to talk to each other and see how they sort of take it forward,” he said.

“But there is a larger issue. And I think it’s important that the larger issue should be flagged. The larger issue is this permissiveness that I have spoken about,” he said.

He said he discussed the ongoing diplomatic row between India and Canada with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

“Most important, the fact that our diplomatic missions and our diplomatic personnel have been consistently and continuously intimidated in Canada to a point where today it is not safe for them really to carry on with their work.

“The fact that we’ve had to temporarily suspend our visa operations, it’s not something we would’ve liked to do. It is just that they made it very difficult for us to operate those services,” Mr Jaishankar said.

Tensions flared between India and Canada following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s explosive allegations of the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar on his country’s soil. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.

India angrily rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated” and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa’s expulsion of an Indian official over the case.

Earlier in the day, Mr Blinken told reporters he hoped that this issue would be resolved by Canada and India.

“We are very concerned about the allegations that have been raised by Canada, by Prime Minister Trudeau,” he said.

“We have been in close contact with Canada about that. And at the same time, we have engaged with the Indian government and urged them to work with Canada on an investigation, and I had the opportunity to do so again in my meeting yesterday with Foreign Minister Jaishankar,” Mr Blinken said.

“Those responsible need to be held accountable, and we hope that our friends in both Canada and India will work together to resolve this matter,” he said.

When asked if there is a deadlock between India and Canada on resolving the issue, S Jaishankar said: “I don’t know if I would use the term deadlock.” He said India’s point is that today there is a climate of violence and an atmosphere of intimidation.

“Just think about it. We’ve had smoke bombs thrown at the mission. We’ve had our consulates, violence in front of them. Individuals have been targeted and intimidated. There are posters put up about people,” he said.

“So tell me, do you consider this normal? Would, I mean for a moment, okay, this is about us. If this had happened to any other country, how would they react to it? I think it’s a reasonable question to ask.”

Mr Jaishankar said it is necessary to call out what is happening in Canada.

He also asserted that it was not acceptable to make threats and intimidate diplomats in the name of freedom of speech.

“We don’t need to learn from other people what freedom of speech is about. But we can tell people this. We don’t think freedom of speech extends to incitement, to violence. That to us is a misuse of freedom,” Mr Jaishankar said.

“It’s not a defence of freedom. I always ask people one question, how would you react if you were in my shoes? If it was your diplomats, your embassies, your people, what would be your reaction?” he asked.

S Jaishankar said if there is a requirement for India to look at something, the country is open to it.

He said a lot of Americans are astonished if they are told what most Indians know, that there are people in Canada who are advocating violence and separatism.

“I suspect very few Americans notice. So in a way, a lot of what I said at the meetings I think was new to the Americans. When Americans look at Canada, they see something. When we in India, look at Canada, we see something else.”

“And that’s part of the problem. So it’s also important that we talk it out with the Americans. After all, they are very close to Canada. They are good friends of ours,” he said.

“So it’s important that they also have an accurate picture, that they have our point of view on this matter as well. I’m not pre-judging issues. I’m not taking absolutist positions. What we have taken is a very reasonable stance,” he added.

S Jaishankar said the entire debate should not focus only on issue one and not on issue two and the bigger picture, which has been going on for some time and which is a very serious picture.

“After all, I was thinking back, when was the last time that any of our missions was intimidated to a point where it could not continue with its normal function? I will really have to think back. And if someone says this could happen in a G-7 country, in a commonwealth country, it gives you a lot to think about,” Mr Jaishankar said.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

Stating that India does not require lessons from others on the concept of freedom of speech, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar,in an apparent reference to Canada, said that freedom of expression should not extend to incitement of violence.

Addressing a press conference in Washington DC on Friday, Jaishankar said, “…I flagged here (in US), and I flagged this to the Canadians as well. We are a democracy. We don’t need to learn from other people what freedom of speech is about, but we can tell people this…we don’t think freedom of speech extends to incitement to violence. That to us, is the misuse of freedom, that’s not defence of freedom”.

He further posed a question, asking how other countries would react if they were in India’s position, with their diplomats, embassies, and citizens facing intimidation.

“How would you react if you were in my shoes? If it was your diplomats, your embassy, your people, what would be your reaction?” he added.

On being asked about Indian concerns regarding the attack on Indian consulate in San Francisco in July this year, the EAM said that the issue was raised during his visit to the US and described it as an ongoing discussion.

“Yes, of course we raised, it. What is the status…it’s an ongoing conversation…Yes, I did spend some time on it…Yes, we discussed other things…Our relationship has many dimensions, many areas of cooperation. When we look at the world, there are areas we have convergences, and intersections of interest where we work very closely together, we are doing all of that,” Mr Jaishankar said.

He added, “Look, I want to be fair. If something is discussed, I am transparent about it. I have no problem saying yes we discussed it. I don’t want you to think that in the India-US relationship, there is only one issue. I would say yes, it’s an ongoing conversation”.

In July this year, a group of pro-Khalistan supporters allegedly attempted to set fire to the Consulate in San Francisco. There was no major damage nor any injuries and police were carrying out an investigation into the incident.

Following the incident, the US strongly condemned the reported vandalism and attempted arson by pro-Khalistan supporters against the Indian Consulate in San Francisco.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his US counterpart Antony Blinken in Washington on Thursday and discussed a full range of issues, but there was no mention of row over Canada’s allegations that India was involved in the killing of a Khalistani terrorist.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead outside a gurudwara in Surrey, British Columbia, in June. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has repeatedly said that they suspect Indian government agents were linked to the murder.

India has categorically rejected Canada’s allegations, calling them “baseless”. Mr Jaishankar has assured Canada that India will investigate the matter if it is provided with specific information about Nijjar’s killing.

The issue though did not feature in talks between Mr Jaishankar and Mr Blinken on Thursday. The issues they discussed included key outcomes of India’s G20 presidency, creation of India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, according to the US Department of State.

“Good to be back here. And we, of course, had the prime minister here this summer. Thanks to the US for all the support to the G20 Summit,” Mr Jaishankar said while appearing before the media along with Mr Blinken ahead of the meeting held at the State Department.

While addressing the media, Mr Blinken said he had “very good discussions” over the last few weeks including at the G20 and on the margins of the UN General Assembly session in New York. He said he was looking forward to his discussions with the Indian counterpart.

The two leaders did not take any questions from the media.

Mr Jaishankar is currently on a five-day official trip to Washington.

“Great to meet my friend US Secretary of State @SecBlinken at State Department today. A wide ranging discussion, following up on PM @narendramodi’s June visit. Also exchanged notes on global developments. Laid the groundwork of our 2+2 meeting very soon,” he posted on X.

Great to meet my friend US Secretary of State @SecBlinken at State Department today.

A wide ranging discussion, following up on PM @narendramodi‘s June visit. Also exchanged notes on global developments.

Laid the groundwork of our 2+2 meeting very soon. pic.twitter.com/mOw9SIX1dO

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 28, 2023

“The Secretary and the External Affairs Minister also emphasised the continued importance of cooperation ahead of the upcoming 2+2 Dialogue, in particular in the areas of defence, space, and clean energy,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement after the meeting.

New Delhi will host the fifth edition of India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, Mr Jaishankar announced on Thursday. Although he did not reveal the dates of the meeting, it is learnt that the ministerial dialogue would be held in the first half of November.

The two sides remained tight-lipped about the direct or indirect implications of the India-Canada row over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia early this year.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has alleged that the Indian government was behind the killing of  Nijjar on June 18. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020. India has rejected Canada’s allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”.

Secretary Blinken refused to respond to reporters’ questions about the row.