Last Updated: October 22, 2023, 18:09 IST
EAM S Jaishankar said India-Canada relations are going through a difficult phase. (Image: AFP/File)
India-Canada Diplomatic Row: Trudeau announced that 41 of its diplomats in India have departed from New Delhi, a day before the deadline set by India for their withdrawal
Justifying India’s move to pressure Canada to downsize its diplomatic presence in New Delhi, EAM S Jaishankar on Sunday said there was interference by Canadian personnel in the country’s internal affairs adding that India does not approve of certain segments of Canadian politics.
“Parity is very much provided for by the Vienna Convention, which is the relevant international rule on this. In our case, we invoked parity because we had concerns about continuous interference in our affairs by Canadian personnel,” Jaishankar said.
The External Affairs Minister also said that the India-Canada relations are “going through a difficult phase.”
#WATCH | On Canadian diplomatic presence in India, EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, “There’s this whole issue of parity that the size of how many diplomats there are of one country versus how many diplomats there are of the other country. Parity is very much provided for by the Vienna… pic.twitter.com/xJmk80GHHS— ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2023
This comes after Canada announced that 41 of its diplomats in India have departed, a day before the deadline set by New Delhi for their withdrawal, failing which they were liable to lose diplomatic immunity.
Later, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the Indian government’s crackdown on Canadian diplomats was making normal life difficult for millions of people in both countries.
Jaishankar on India Resuming Issuance of Visas to Canadians
The external affairs minister also said that India is likely to resume the issuance of visas to Canadian citizens if it sees progress in the safety of Indian diplomats in Canada.
“If we see progress in the safety of our diplomats in Canada, we would like to resume issuance of visas there,” Jaishankar said at an event while replying to a question on India-Canada ties.
India in September announced the temporary suspension of the issuance of visas to Canadian citizens and asked Ottawa to downsize its diplomatic presence in the country after Trudeau alleged a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
US-UK Back Canada on Diplomat’s Exit Issue
The United States and the UK on Friday urged India not to insist Canada reduce its diplomatic presence in India and expressed concern after Ottawa pulled out 41 diplomats amid a dispute over the murder of a Sikh separatist.
We do not agree with the decisions taken by the Indian government that have resulted in a number of Canadian diplomats departing India, reads the FCDO statement.
(With PTI inputs)
