Barriers between India-Canada have turned into bridges: PM Modi

He was addressing the business community and well known citizens of Vancouver

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday attended a dinner hosted by his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper and said the barriers between the two nations have turned into bridges while addressing the business community and well known citizens of Vancouver here.

"Two days is a very short period of time but, during this period of time, the warm welcome, affection, hospitality and honour that I have received from you all is enough for a lifetime," said Prime Minister Modi while speaking to the business community here.

"It is not the distance that you travel but the destination that you seek. It is for these two reasons this visit will be a memorable visit for me for many years to come," he added.

Prime Minister Modi also thanked Prime Minister Harper from the bottom of his heart and said, "This is a historic visit not because it comes after 42 years that an Indian Prime Minister has come on a stand-alone bilateral visit, but because even after these 42 years, the interval just melted away in a minute."

"Yesterday, you saw the love and respect that the Indian community, the Canadians of Indian origin had shown. The Canadians of Indian origin feel very proud to be Canadians and are fully so in every respect," he added.

Prime Minister Modi further said a challenge is the real mark of the leadership.

"Since you assumed leadership in Afghanistan, your soldiers fighting sacrificed their lives. Then economic crisis in 2008 and now you faced a terror attack at home. Although India and Canada have so much in common, we were not in each other's thought for so many years. But, today it is my deep belief that not only we will be present in each others' thoughts but also in our endeavour, we will walk together, we will be with each other," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Canadian counterpart Stephan Harper during their visit to Gurudwara Khalsa Diwan in Vancouver

The Prime Minister said that there are many issues in which the two nations have progressed.

"Barriers have turned into bridges and I am confident that even the bilateral investment protection agreement and the comprehensive economic partnership agreement will happen soon," he said.

"My visit today concludes here in Vancouver, the place which is the first human link between our two countries and the place where Swami Vivekananda started his journey in America," he added.

Prime Minister Modi left for Frankfurt a short while ago, ending the third and final leg of his three-nation, nine-day tour.