New Delhi, March 2 Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership on Monday, highlighting his significant role in making India the fastest-growing economy in the world over the past decade. Addressing a joint press conference with Prime Minister Modi following their talks in New Delhi, Carney also discussed the increasing engagement between India and Canada in the last year, describing it as an expansion of a valued partnership with new ambition, focus, and foresight.
"Over the past decade, under your leadership, Prime Minister, India has become the fastest-growing economy in the world. Per capita incomes in this country have risen at a pace never seen before, rarely in human history... Canada shares your ambition and your sense of purpose... I believe that the key to success in this new era is well exemplified by the theme of your G20 presidency in 2023, which I had the honor of attending. That theme, of course, ‘One Earth, One family, One future’, because the challenges of our age cannot be solved by one country alone," said Carney.
Both leaders reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation, including discussions on trade and investment, defense and security, education and culture, clean energy and critical minerals, AI and supercomputing, and mobility. They also exchanged views on regional and global developments, emphasizing that terrorism, extremism, and radicalization pose serious challenges to humanity.
After their meeting at the Hyderabad House, several MoUs in key areas, including civil nuclear cooperation, energy, critical minerals, education and skill development, science and technology, and culture, were exchanged between the two sides.
Carney announced that India and Canada are renewing defense and security cooperation through a new defense partnership, maritime collaboration in the Indo-Pacific, professional military exchanges, and practical coordination and cooperation on shared security interests. Carney also recalled his meeting with Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the G7 and G20 Summits last year.
"May I begin by thanking Prime Minister Modi for the generous hospitality that you have extended to us in New Delhi, to my ministers as they have visited, and the spirit of partnership with which you have approached our relationship since we first spoke in my capacity as Prime Minister last June. As you mentioned, a few weeks later, you made time to come to the G7 Summit in Alberta, Canada. Five months after that, we met in Johannesburg at the G20. And now, today, the first bilateral visit of a Canadian Prime Minister here in eight years.
"In the intervening months, our foreign ministers have been busy. They've met five times. Four of my ministers have led delegations here to India. Provincial premiers have also been here. There has been more engagement between the Canadian and Indian governments in the last year than there has been in more than two decades combined. So, this is not merely the renewal of a relationship. It is the expansion of a valued partnership with new ambition, focus, and foresight, a partnership between two confident countries charting our own course for the future," Carney mentioned.
The Canadian PM announced that India and Canada are aiming to conclude a comprehensive economic partnership agreement by the end of this year, noting that this agreement will reduce barriers, increase certainty, unlock opportunities for exporters, investors, and workers in both countries, with the aim of doubling trade by the end of this decade.
"We are one family. The greatest and most enduring strengths between Canada and India are the families who call our nations home. Nearly two million Canadians trace their roots to India, including leaders in business, science, culture, and government. Tens of thousands of people travel between our countries every year to visit friends and family. 400,000 talented Indians study in Canada. That is twice the number in the United States. It is four times the number in the United Kingdom. These students, these connections deepen our ties. And so we're collaborating to build on those strengths," he stated.
Carney also mentioned that India and Canada have decided to launch a new talent and innovation strategy with 13 new partnerships to deepen ties in education, including collaborations involving McGill, the University of Toronto, and the University of British Columbia, to work across artificial intelligence, health sciences, and digital architecture.
"We're going to expand our collaboration between the Canadian Space Agency and the Indian Space Research Organisation on Earth observation, climate monitoring, on generating the data that powers agriculture, disaster response, climate resilience across the Indo-Pacific, and our partnerships will be reinforced by the strong foundations we are building in trade and defense," he said.
