Indian envoy to Canada meets Saskatchewan Premier, discusses bilateral ties
Ottawa, Nov 29
Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh K. Patnaik, met the Premier of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, Scott Moe, in a significant step towards strengthening the bilateral ties.
Both sides reviewed significant potential to deepen bilateral partnership between the two countries, especially in food security, fertilisers, energy, and strategic cooperation.
"Thank you, Scott Moe, for your warm hospitality. Our discussions highlighted the immense potential to further strengthen India–Canada ties, particularly in food security, fertilisers, energy, and strategic cooperation. Saskatchewan remains an important partner in the growing India–Canada relationship," the Indian High Commission in Ottawa quoted Patnaik as saying.
Following the meeting, Scott Moe took to X and posted: "Great meeting with India's High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, on how Canada and India can move forward on energy and food security for our two nations."
Earlier this week, Patnaik also met the Premier of the Canadian province of Alberta, Danielle Smith. Both sides discussed important areas of bilateral partnership, including energy, trade, agriculture, technology collaboration, research, and people-to-people connections.
"Honoured to meet Premier Danielle Smith. We had an excellent discussion on key aspects of our bilateral partnership -- energy, trade, agriculture, technology collaboration, research, and people-to-people ties. Great potential ahead to elevate our relationship through fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial cooperation," Patnaik stated.
"Alberta has deep and growing ties with India, and today I had the pleasure of meeting Dinesh K Patnaik, India's High Commissioner to Canada, to talk about how we can take that partnership to the next level. We discussed Alberta's role in helping meet India's growing needs for safe, reliable energy, high-quality agricultural products, as well as new opportunities in technology," Danielle Smith posted on X following the meeting.
"With a strong Indo-Canadian community here at home and Indian companies already investing in Alberta, there is huge potential ahead. Our message is simple: Alberta is open for business and ready to be a long-term partner in India's growth," she added.
On November 23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also held a bilateral meeting with his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, in which he noted that India has set a target of $50 billion by 2030 for bilateral trade between the two countries.
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— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally some positive diplomatic movement! The $50 billion trade target by 2030 is ambitious but achievable. Energy cooperation with Alberta could reduce our dependency on other sources. Good strategic thinking.
Hope these discussions translate into actual benefits for common people. Sometimes these high-level meetings don't result in much on ground. But cautiously optimistic about the fertilizer and agriculture cooperation mentioned.
As a Canadian working in India, this is very encouraging. The people-to-people connections mentioned are crucial - there's so much cultural exchange happening already. Technology collaboration could be the next big thing!
While I appreciate the diplomatic efforts, I hope our government ensures these partnerships are truly "fair and balanced" as mentioned. We've had experiences where Indian interests weren't adequately protected in international deals.
The focus on food security and fertilizers is much needed given climate challenges. Saskatchewan is known for quality wheat and pulses - this could help stabilize our food supply chains. Good work by our diplomats! ðŸ™
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