'Relationship back on track; we are destined to work together': High Commissioner Patnaik hails India-Canada ties

Ottawa [Canada], February 14 : Dinesh Patnaik, the Indian High Commissioner to Canada said that the current status of the ties between New Delhi and Ottawa is doing extremely well despite the blip in the last two years. Speaking to the Financial Post in Canada, Patnaik expressed confidence ahead of the visit of Canadian PM Mark Carney to India and said that the two countries have shared values across areas and that minor irritants should not affect the ties.
When asked about the current status of the relationship, he noted that it is "extremely good" and that things have moved since the meeting between PM Modi and PM Carney on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada.
He highlighted how since then, the High Commissioners have been appointed, there have been ministerial-level visits and a spate of meetings reflect the upswing in the ties.
"We've had a spate of visits at the level of ministers, including the Foreign Minister, the Trade Minister, the Energy Minister, the Speaker of the Parliament, various other ministers, various delegations, meetings of the joint working group on various things from nuclear safety to education to you name it. I mean, there have been a spate of meetings. All of this trying to make up for whatever time we've lost in the past," Patnaik said.
He also highlighted the visit of National Security Advisors of both the nations which saw discussions across national security and law enforcement, economic activity, commercial activity, mining, energy, education, AI, intelligence and mentioned that Minister Solomon is slated to come to India for the Global AI Impact Summit in New Delhi next week.
"So, in a sense, the relationship is back on track, not just back on track, it's going very strongly and we are hoping very soon to have a high-level visit from Canada, which will literally put the stamp on the relationship having come this far", he said.
When asked about the unresolved issues between the two countries and if trade and ties can go together, High Commissioner Patnaik brushed underscored the converging nature of value systems between New Delhi and Ottawa, highlighting that the nations are destined to work together.
He said, "We are both democracies with rule of law, freedom of press, market economy. Strategically, if you look at it on a national strategy level, we have no conflict. We have only interests which coalesce together."
He mentioned how India and Canada work together across multilateral organisations, from the UN to G7.
"We work together everywhere. Now if you want to put a relationship to hostage because of minor irritants, it's all up to you to decide. We both have the same interests, the same values, the same systems. We are two countries which are destined to be working together, and that's the reason we are working together now. It needs leaders of stature to understand that, not leaders of stature to throw it all down because of some minor irritant."
This comes shortly after NSA Doval concluded his visit to Canada after which the two countries have agreed to establish liaison officers in each other's countries to facilitate a more streamlined flow of information, particularly in dealing with security-related issues related to crimes and drugs, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.
His visit highlighted India and Canada's ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation in national security, law enforcement, and cybersecurity.