The United States on Friday said it was “concerned” about the forced return of dozens of Canadian diplomats stationed in India due to pressure exerted by New Delhi amid a crisis between the two countries.
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“Resolving disputes requires diplomats on the ground,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
He therefore urges the Indian government “not to insist on a reduction in the Canadian diplomatic presence” and that India “cooperate with the ongoing investigation.”
Ottawa said Thursday it had been forced to repatriate 41 diplomats stationed in India after New Delhi threatened to lift their diplomatic immunity.
Indo-Canadian relations soured in September when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised the Indian government’s possible involvement in the killing of a Sikh leader near Vancouver in June.
The allegations were immediately described as “absurd” by the Indian government, which recently called for Canadian diplomats to leave the country.
The issue is sensitive for the United States, a neighboring country and historic ally of Canada but which, under the leadership of President Joe Biden, has committed to moving closer to the Indian government of Narendra Modi.