Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly will kick off a 2-day visit to India on today, February 6, to hold wide-ranging talks with her Indian EAM Dr. S Jaishankar, an official said.
As per an official communique from the Canadian government, Joly will work with EAM Jaishankar to identify areas where the interests of Canada and India converge and where they could further collaborate on global and regional issues.
In addition to strengthening bilateral ties, the two sides are also expected to focus on cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of growing global concern over China's mounting military muscle-flexing in the region.
Canada released a comprehensive plan for the Indo-Pacific region in November with the purpose of fostering security, resilience, and peace.
India was identified as a significant actor in the Indo-Pacific area in Canada's Indo-Pacific policy, which also stated that Ottawa would concentrate on deepening economic ties with New Delhi through trade and investment as well as joint efforts to create robust supply chains.
In the Canadian policy, it was stated that "India's strategic relevance and leadership -- both throughout the region and worldwide -- would only expand as India, the world's largest democracy, becomes the world's most populous country and continues to grow its economy."
As Joly lands in India, there is some hope that the visit may help to rebuild commercial links between Canada and India. The FM will "build on the two countries' shared tradition of democracy and pluralism, a common commitment to a rules-based international system and multilateralism, and mutual interest in expanding our commercial relationship and strengthening our extensive and growing people-to-people connections," according to an official statement.
Separately, the six-day visit to India by the Deputy Prime Minister of Fiji, Biman Prasad, started on Sunday.
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