India, Canada signal thaw in relations as foreign ministers hold first phone call in months
New Delhi: In a potential sign of easing diplomatic tensions, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Canada’s new Foreign Minister Anita Anand spoke over the phone, marking the first high-level contact since the two nations were embroiled in a serious diplomatic row.
The call comes ahead of the upcoming G7 summit, which Canada is set to host next month. India, having attended the last six G7 summits as a guest during outreach sessions, is reportedly eager to be invited again this year. While Australia and Ukraine are believed to be on the guest list, it remains unclear whether India has received a formal invitation.
Jaishankar, in a post on social media platform X, said he “appreciated” the conversation with Anand and discussed “the prospects of India-Canada ties.” He also wished her “a very successful tenure.”
Anand, in a corresponding post, described the discussion as “productive” and highlighted their focus on strengthening bilateral ties, deepening economic cooperation, and advancing shared priorities. “I look forward to continuing our work together,” she said.
The diplomatic call follows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s congratulatory message to Prime Minister Mark Carney following his election win in April, a gesture widely viewed as India’s first move toward resetting ties after nearly 19 months of strained relations.
The tension had escalated in September 2023 when the Canadian government under then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian officials of involvement in the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a charge India strongly denied. In response to the allegation and the expulsion of six Indian diplomats, India undertook reciprocal diplomatic measures, resulting in a prolonged standoff.
India has consistently accused Canada of giving space to anti-India groups operating from its soil, while Canada reiterated its concerns through official channels, including statements by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police linking Indian officials to covert campaigns against Canadian citizens.
Despite these challenges, the new leadership in Ottawa and recent diplomatic engagements suggest a cautious but deliberate effort on both sides to rebuild trust. Modi’s earlier post had emphasized the importance of democratic values and people-to-people ties between the two nations, indicating a shared interest in moving forward.
Whether these gestures will translate into a full diplomatic rapprochement — including India’s participation in the G7 — remains to be seen. However, the phone call between Jaishankar and Anand is being viewed as a positive first step in that direction.
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Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
