New Delhi, February 26 India on Thursday said that the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney next week will provide an opportunity to advance a forward-looking partnership between the two nations.
Carney will undertake a four-day visit to India beginning Friday, in his first trip to the country as the prime minister.
The visit is largely aimed at imparting a new momentum to the bilateral ties that came under severe strain following a diplomatic row over the killing of a Khalistani separatist in 2023.
The Canadian prime minister's first stop will be Mumbai, where he will participate in separate business engagements, interact with top Indian and Canadian corporate leaders, financial experts and innovators.
Carney will arrive in New Delhi on Sunday, and the two prime ministers will hold wide-ranging talks on Monday.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that both leaders will review the progress achieved till date across diverse areas of the India-Canada Strategic Partnership, building on their earlier meetings in Kananaskis in June last and Johannesburg in November last.
"The visit comes at an important juncture in normalising India-Canada bilateral relations," the ministry said.
"The two prime ministers have earlier agreed to pursue a constructive and balanced partnership grounded in mutual respect for each other's concerns and sensitivities, strong people-to-people ties, and growing economic complementarities.
"The forthcoming meeting between the leaders will provide an opportunity to reaffirm the positive momentum and shared vision of India and Canada in building a forward-looking partnership," the MEA said in a statement.