New Delhi, Nov 4 — India and Canada held the inaugural Defence Dialogue, exploring avenues to strengthen cooperation in capacity building, military-technical exchanges and defence industrial collaboration.
Joint Secretary (International Cooperation) in the Ministry of Defence, Amit Telang, and Assistant Deputy Minister (Policy) in Canada's Department of National Defence, Scott Millar, co-chaired the Dialogue. The two sides also spoke about regional and global issues, the ministry stated on Wednesday.
"Building on the momentum of high-level engagements, both sides explored avenues to strengthen defence cooperation in capacity building, military-technical exchanges and defence industrial collaboration, while exchanging views on regional and global issues," it added.
Last month, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar held a meeting with his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Atlanta, discussing trade, critical minerals, defence and energy.
During the meeting, the two ministers also discussed evolving geopolitical landscape and work ahead to advance comprehensive trade agreement.
“Just weeks after our discussions in New Delhi, I met again with S Jaishankar on the margins of the G20 in Atlanta. We exchanged perspectives on the evolving geopolitical landscape and discussed the work ahead to advance a comprehensive trade agreement and deepen cooperation on regional security,” Anand posted on X.
“The global economy is being reshaped, and Canada and India have an important role to play in what comes next. With renewed momentum in our relationship, we have an opportunity to expand trade, strengthen energy security and build greater economic resilience,” she wrote.
In a statement, Global Affairs Canada said Anand “welcomed progress towards concluding a comprehensive economic partnership agreement by the end of the year,” and that the ministers “agreed that Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Canada in December will be another building block in the ambitious trajectory in the relationship between the two countries.”
In July, India and Canada agreed to enhance defence cooperation, with discussions focusing on maritime collaboration, defence capacity-building and training. The discussions were held during a meeting between India's High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh K. Patnaik, and Canadian Minister of National Defence David McGuinty.
"High Commissioner Dinesh K Patnaik met Canadian Minister of National Defence David McGuinty. Discussions focused on strengthening maritime cooperation, advancing defence capacity-building and training, and deepening India–Canada defence ties to advance shared commitment of promoting peace, stability, and stronger bilateral engagement," the Indian High Commission in Canada had posted on X.