Canadian foreign minister arrives in India for talks on trade, energy, security

Merve Gül Aydoğan Ağlarcı

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand arrived in India on Tuesday and will continue to the United Arab Emirates from Oct. 13 – 16 “to deepen bilateral relations and cooperation with these countries,” according to a statement by Global Affairs Canada.

Anand will meet Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to advance collaboration on roadmap priorities, including trade, energy, people-to-people ties, and security and defense cooperation, it said.

It will be the 11th meeting between the two ministers since last September.

In New Delhi, Anand will take part in a panel discussion on middle powers and the changing global order at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum. She will “reinforce the importance of multilateral and plurilateral cooperation at a time of geopolitical uncertainty,” according to the statement.

In the UAE, she will meet Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and senior officials and business leaders, to expand commercial partnerships and promote collaboration in defense and security, artificial intelligence and innovation.

“I’m travelling to India and the United Arab Emirates to strengthen Canada’s relationships with two important partners. At a time of global uncertainty, expanding trade, attracting investment and building closer security ties are essential to our future prosperity,” Anand wrote on US social media platform X.

Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal welcomed Anand on X, saying it is her third visit to India since June 2025, “reflecting the sustained high-level engagement and positive momentum in India-Canada relations.”

A photo in Jaiswal’s post showed Anand being welcomed by Kakanur Nagaraj Naidu, additional secretary at India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

Separately, a statement by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Office said he spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. They reaffirmed their commitment to conclude negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement at the earliest opportunity, supporting efforts to double two-way trade by 2030.

They welcomed a Team Canada Trade Mission currently taking place in India, led by International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu, and discussed the effects of geopolitical instability in the Indo-Pacific region.

They agreed to stay in close contact ahead of Modi’s visit to Canada in December.

Modi said on X that he had a “warm and productive conversation” with Carney.