‘Real issues need to be solved’: Canada’s Justin Trudeau says met PM Modi in Laos

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday said he had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of a summit in Laos and spoke to him about the “work that we need to do”.

Ties between the two nations were strained after Trudeau had alleged India’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada’s Surrey city last year.

Both leaders met on the sidelines of the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) Summit in Vientiane, Laos on Thursday.

According to a report by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC News), Trudeau described his meeting with Modi as a “brief exchange”.

“I emphasised that there is work that we need to do," Trudeau told reporters at a press conference in Laos.

“I won't go into details about what we talked about, but what I have said many times is that the safety of Canadians and upholding the rule of law is one of the fundamental responsibilities of any Canadian government, and that's what I'll stay focused on,” he added.

Canada needs to continue to develop its trade ties and people-to-people ties with India, “but there are real issues that we need to solve and we're going to stay focused on that”, Trudeau further noted.

However, some media reports said there was no substantive discussion between the two leaders.

“Regarding remarks made by the Prime Minister of Canada, there was no substantive discussion between PM Modi and Prime Minister Trudeau in Vientiane. India continues to expect that anti-India Khalistani activities will not be allowed to take place on Canadian soil and that firm action, which is lacking thus far, will be taken against those advocating violence, extremism and terrorism against India from Canadian territory," sources told ANI. 

The sources further stated that India attaches importance to ties with Canada but these cannot be repaired unless the Canadian government takes strict against those who actively pursue anti-India activities.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, chief of Khalistan Tiger Force and wanted by the Indian government, was killed in a targeted killing in Canada’s Surrey in June 2023.

The Canadian prime minister had alleged that there were “credible allegations” that Indian agents were involved in the murder of Nijjar.

India, which had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020, has strongly rejected Trudeau's allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”.

Four Indian nationals are accused of murder and conspiracy in connection with Nijjar's killing.