India-Canada reaffirm objective to conclude CEPA talks in 2026

Evian [France], June 17 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian and took a stock of the progress made in ties since the visit of PM Carney to India in March this year.
A statement by the Canadian Prime Minister's Office on the meeting between them noted that the leaders reviewed progress in bilateral economic cooperation, including developments in commercial arrangements relating to LNG, LPG and metallurgical coal.
The Prime Ministers welcomed the ongoing momentum in the exchange of high-level visits between the two countries and looked forward to the forthcoming Canadian trade mission to India, to be led by Canada's Minister of International Trade, Maninder Sidhu, later in 2026.
Both sides expressed satisfaction with the progress in negotiations towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and reaffirmed their shared objective of concluding the negotiations in 2026, the statement highlighted.
Prime Minister Modi thanked Prime Minister Carney for his invitation to visit Canada in 2026.
As per the statement, both sides agreed to remain engaged through diplomatic channels to work towards a mutually convenient date for the visit.
It further noted that the Prime Ministers welcomed the strengthening of institutional engagement between the two governments, including the recent meetings of the Joint Science and Technology Cooperation Committee and the Consular Dialogue and looked forward to forthcoming dialogues in the areas of defence, finance and migration.
To deepen defence and security cooperation, the Prime Ministers agreed to launch negotiations on a General Security of Information Agreement (GSOIA). They also welcomed recent exchanges between defence institutions, including the visit of the National Defence College of India to Canada.
The leaders noted ongoing collaboration under the Canada-India Talent and Innovation Strategy, including initiatives to strengthen skills development, innovation partnerships, and educational cooperation between institutions in the two countries.
The statement highlighted that Prime Minister Modi expressed India's support for Canada becoming a Dialogue Partner of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
"The leaders announced the establishment of Raisina Americas as a platform to further strengthen dialogue, exchanges and cooperation," it added.
In a post on X, PM Carney hailed India as the fastest-growing major economy in the world and a powerhouse of global commerce and technology. He said that along with PM Modi, he is working towards advancing partnerships in areas such as energy, talent and artificial intelligence.

India is the fastest-growing major economy in the world, and a powerhouse of global commerce and technology.

Prime Minister @NarendraModi and I are working at speed to unleash the potential of new partnerships between our nations — in energy, talent, and AI. pic.twitter.com/71eb66pQ9f

— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) June 16, 2026

It highlighted that the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to building a forward-looking strategic partnership, and highlighted the importance of resilient and reliable supply chains in strengthening global energy and food security. (ANI)