In a press briefing, Justin Trudeau said both issues, Khalistan extremism and “foreign interference”, came up during his meeting with PM Modi.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held bilateral talks with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi and several key issues of mutual importance, including Khalistani terrorism and enhanced economic ties between India and Canada.
Taking to X (former Twitter), PM Modi tweeted, “Met PM @JustinTrudeau on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. We discussed the full range of India-Canada ties across different sectors.”
#WATCH | G-20 in India: PM Narendra Modi met Canadian PM Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit, in Delhi pic.twitter.com/UzDzY3bdU4
— ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2023
Later, in a press briefing, Justin Trudeau said both issues, Khalistan extremism and “foreign interference”, came up during his meeting with PM Modi.
Trudeau said over the years, he had had many conversations with PM Modi on both these issue and assured that Canada will always defend freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, and freedom of peaceful protest.
#WATCH | Delhi: On Khalistan extremism and “foreign interference”, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says, “Both the issues came up. Over the years, with PM Modi, we have had many conversations on both of those issues… Canada will always defend freedom of expression,… pic.twitter.com/sRYsCoEvY0
— ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2023
He said that while all the above are extremely important for Canada as a nation, it will, however, always be there to prevent violence and to push back against hatred.
‘Actions of the few’
Trudeau also urged not to consider the “actions of the few” as a representation of the entire community or Canada. “I think on the issue of the community, it is important to remember that the actions of the few do not represent the entire community or Canada,” the Canadian PM said.
“The flip side of it, we also highlighted the importance of respecting the rule of law and we did talk about foreign interference,” he added.
Notably, multiple incidents of Khalistani extremism have been reported in Canada over the past few years.
‘India an important partner for Canada’
Speaking about economic ties between India and Canada, Trudeau emphasized that New Delhi is an important partner for Ottawa and the two countries continue to work towards it.
“We recognize India as an extraordinarily important economy in the world and an important partner for Canada on everything, from fighting climate change to creating growth and prosperity for citizens. There is always a lot of work to do and we will continue to do it,” Trudeau said.
Earlier, Trudeau, along with other world leaders, paid a visit to Rajghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi on Sunday morning.
#WATCH | G-20 in India | Canadian PM Justin Trudeau arrives at Delhi’s Rajghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi and lay a wreath. pic.twitter.com/Q428nFIPzn
— ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2023
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accompanied by his son Xavier, arrived in India on Friday to attend the G20 Summit. He was received by the Union Minister of State (MoS) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
The Canadian PM had recently called India a key partner in the promotion of shared values of democracy.
“As the world’s largest democracy, India is – and will continue to be – a key partner for Canada in the promotion of our shared values of democracy, pluralism, and progress. We are committed to building on this rich history of collaboration, including under India’s presidency of the G20 this year,” Trudeau said in a statement.
(With ANI inputs)