India, Canada ties to reach higher level: Jaishankar

India and Canada are preparing to take their relationship “to a higher level”, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said after holding a “productive discussion” with his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

“Always a pleasure to meet FM @AnitaAnandMP of Canada #UNGA81. A productive discussion as we prepare to take the relationship to a higher level,” Jaishankar said in a post on X Saturday. Earlier this week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said at the UN that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Canada around December this year, noting that Ottawa is making “good progress” in its trade negotiations with India. “We are making good progress in our trade negotiations with India. It is an exceptionally important relationship on many, many levels, people-to-people levels, security levels, and also trade and economic,” Carney had said at a press conference Tuesday on the sidelines of the UNGA.

Carney was responding to questions on when Modi would visit Canada and how close Ottawa was to concluding a free trade agreement - called the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement - with India. US President Donald Trump will host the G20 Summit on December 14–15 at the Trump National Doral Miami resort in Doral, Florida.

Amid discussions in India regarding diversification of its energy sources, Jaishankar also met Venezuela Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia Gonzalez on the UNGA sidelines.

After the meeting, he said: “Our energy ties are gaining momentum, besides other areas of bilateral cooperation. We also discussed current regional issues.”

He also met Belarus Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov and his Mexican counterpart Roberto Velasco Alvarez of Mexico.