(Ottawa) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke Wednesday of a change in relations with India since American revelations about the planned assassination of a Sikh separatist leader in New York.
Posted at 4:47 p.m.
“There is a change in tone” from New Delhi, the head of the Canadian government said in an interview with CBC, the Canadian public audiovisual group.
“I think there's a beginning of understanding that they're not going to get away with this. They are open to collaboration, whereas before they may have been less open,” he added.
Indo-Canadian relations deteriorated in mid-September when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blamed his intelligence services for the June 18 assassination of Indian-origin Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on his territory.
Allegations were immediately described as “absurd” by New Delhi. A month later, Ottawa was forced to repatriate 41 diplomats stationed in India after New Delhi threatened to lift their diplomatic immunity.
But in November, India was again accused of ordering the assassination of an enemy, this time across the border: an Indian citizen was prosecuted in the United States for supporting the planned assassination of a Sikh separatist leader in New York , at the instigation of an agent of his country's government.
The Indian government is obliged to cooperate in this matter. These events are undermining efforts by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the most recent host of the G20 summit, to restore his standing on the international stage.
India appears to “understand that increasing attacks against Canada may not be enough to solve the problem,” said Justin Trudeau.
“We don’t want to get into a conflict situation with India. We want to work on a trade agreement. We want to advance the Indo-Pacific strategy,” he said.
“But it is vital that Canada defends people’s rights, their security and the rule of law. And that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” Mr. Trudeau added.
Canada and the United States are seeking closer ties with India to counter Chinese influence in the region.