Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney held their fourth meeting within a year on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian, France, reviewing the full spectrum of bilateral ties and reaffirming their commitment to conclude the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2026.

The talks spanned trade, energy, technology, education, defence, and people-to-people exchanges, underscoring a renewed momentum in India–Canada relations.

Prime Minister Modi described the meeting as a delight, emphasising that the frequency of engagements reflected the strong commitment to advancing India–Canada ties. He noted that both leaders reviewed the full range of relations, highlighting progress achieved since their last meeting and discussing cooperation in trade, economy, energy, technology, and people-to-people linkages.

The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that the leaders reviewed excellent progress in bilateral engagement and discussed building a stronger partnership driven by trade, energy, innovation, education, and exchanges between citizens. The talks also reaffirmed the importance of resilient supply chains to strengthen global energy and food security.

Both sides expressed satisfaction with the progress in CEPA negotiations and reaffirmed their shared objective of concluding the talks in 2026. The agreement is expected to unlock new opportunities for trade and investment, with a target of doubling bilateral trade to USD 50 billion by 2030.

The leaders also agreed to launch negotiations on a General Security of Information Agreement to deepen defence and intelligence cooperation.

The meeting welcomed ongoing commercial arrangements involving liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, and metallurgical coal, which are vital to India’s expanding energy and industrial sectors. 

They also noted the strengthening of institutional engagement, including recent meetings of the Joint Science and Technology Committee and the Consular Dialogue, with forthcoming consultations planned in defence, finance, and migration.

The leaders highlighted collaboration under the Canada–India Talent and Innovation Strategy, focusing on skill development, innovation partnerships, and educational cooperation. Prime Minister Modi expressed support for Canada becoming a Dialogue Partner of the Indian Ocean Rim Association, while both leaders announced the establishment of Raisina Americas as a platform to strengthen dialogue and cooperation.

The meeting built upon Prime Minister Carney’s successful visit to India in March 2026, which marked the first bilateral visit by a Canadian Prime Minister since 2018. That visit had already set the tone for advancing CEPA negotiations and expanding cooperation across multiple sectors.

The leaders reaffirmed their shared democratic values and commitment to sustainable development, aligning India’s vision of Viksit Bharat with Canada’s Build Canada Strong agenda.

Earlier at the G7 Outreach Session, Prime Minister Modi underscored the importance of trust in building international partnerships. He stressed that global cooperation should move beyond the donor-recipient framework and instead be based on solidarity and equality.

He highlighted India’s “humanity first” approach, reflected in initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, the Global Biofuel Alliance, Mission LiFe, and the ‘Ek Ped Maa ke Naam’ campaign.

Modi reiterated that India’s vision of international partnership is rooted in the timeless philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, meaning “the world is one family.” This philosophy underlines India’s commitment to equitable and sustainable progress at the global level. His participation in the G7 Summit marked India’s 13th appearance as a partner nation and his seventh consecutive presence at the forum.

On the second day of the summit, Prime Minister Modi held a brief interaction with US President Donald Trump following the traditional family photograph. A formal bilateral meeting between the two leaders is scheduled for 17 June, with discussions expected to focus heavily on advancing the proposed India–US trade agreement, which would mark the first formal trade pact between the two countries.

ANI