India to Gradually Allow Canada to Post Similar Number of Diplomats
India will gradually permit Canada to post a similar number of diplomats and officials to India as was the case prior to October 2024, as a senior Indian official revealed to the Hindustan Times. This decision has been agreed upon during Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand's visit to India earlier this month. The move follows a series of diplomatic expulsions and tensions between the two countries in 2024, which have since been mitigated by the change in Canadian leadership. A significant breakthrough in the relationship was achieved when Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney held a bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on the margins of the G7 leaders' summit in June.
Key Takeaways:
- India will permit Canada to post a similar number of diplomats and officials to India as was the case prior to October 2024.
- The decision was agreed upon during Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand's visit to India earlier this month.
- The move comes after a series of diplomatic expulsions and tensions between the two countries in 2024.
- The relationship between India and Canada has undergone a reset since the change in Canadian leadership.
- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has underscored a step-by-step reset between the two countries.
- Ministerial-level talks between the two countries are expected to proceed.
- India has invited Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to India for the Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit in February.
Statistics:
- Prior to the downsizing, Canada had 62 diplomats in India, while India had 21 diplomats in Canada.
- In October 2024, 41 Canadian diplomats left India after New Delhi said their diplomatic immunity would be stripped.
- The Canadian numbers could rise substantially in the months ahead if Ottawa simplifies the process for accreditation of Indian diplomats.
Sources:
- Hindustan Times, a leading Delhi-based English daily, reporting on Indian and international events.