Sushma to meet Canadian counterpart ahead of Modi-Trudeau talks

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will hold a strategic-level dialogue with Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland on Thursday ahead of Friday's bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau.

According to information by the External Affairs Ministry late on Wednesday evening, apart from her meeting with Sushma Swaraj, Freeland will also meet Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday.

Bilateral trade between India and Canada stood at $6.05 billion in 2016. The two countries are also working on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

Freeland will be part of the Canadian delegation that will participate in Friday's bilateral parleys.

Trudeau arrived here on Friday on an eight-day visit to India.

After visiting Agra, Ahmedabad and Mumbai, he visited Amritsar on Wednesday where he, his wife and children prayed at the Golden Temple.

Trudeau also met Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

There are 1.2 million people of Indian origin in Canada and around 500,000 of them hail from Punjab.

--IANS

ab/vd