EAM S Jaishankar to visit Canada on Wednesday to attend G7 meeting

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit Canada on Wednesday to participate in the G7 foreign ministers' meeting, in yet another step to normalise bilateral ties.

Jaishankar will join the outreach session of the meeting for G7 partners in Ontario at the invitation of his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday.

"The external affairs minister's participation in the G7 foreign ministers' meeting reflects India's continued commitment to working with international partners in addressing global challenges and bolstering the voice of the Global South in international fora," it said.

Jaishankar is also expected to hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the G7 meeting including with Anand.

The outreach partner nations that Canada has invited for the G7 meeting include Australia, Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, South Korea, South Africa and Ukraine.

Canada last week said the G7 gathering will discuss pressing global economic and security challenges, including maritime security and prosperity, economic resilience, energy security and critical minerals.

Jaishankar's trip to Canada comes a month after Anand visited India during which both sides unveiled an ambitious roadmap to boost ties in areas of trade, critical minerals and energy.

In their meeting, the two foreign ministers had agreed to commence ministerial-level discussions on bilateral trade and investment at an early date considering the global economic realities and each other's "strategic priorities".

The India-Canada relations hit rock bottom following then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in 2023 of a potential Indian link to the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India had dismissed Trudeau's accusation as "absurd".

In October last year, India recalled its high commissioner and five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to link them to the Nijjar case. India also expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats.

However, Liberal Party leader Mark Carney's victory in the parliamentary election in April helped in beginning the process to reset relations.

Both sides have already posted their high commissioners in each other's capitals.