Modi speaks to Carney amid trade deal talks as India and Canada seek year-end pact

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney spoke over the phone on Wednesday amid parleys to close a free trade agreement between the two countries by the year-end.

The conversation took place ahead of Canadian foreign minister Anita Anand’s arrival in India later on Tuesday, while her colleague and minister for international trade Maninder Sidhu is already in Delhi with the “largest Canadian trade delegation to India in 30 years”.

Announcing the conversation on X, Prime Minister Modi said: “Had a warm and productive conversation with Prime Minister Mark Carney. We agreed to build on the positive momentum in India-Canada ties and work towards concrete outcomes across key areas of our Strategic Partnership, including trade, energy, technology, security and people-to-people ties. Together, India and Canada are contributing towards a more stable and prosperous world.”

According to the Canadian Premier’s office, the Prime Ministers welcomed the increased engagement between the two countries over the past year and underscored the opportunity to build on this renewed momentum. “To that end, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to conclude negotiations on a CEPA at the earliest opportunity, supporting efforts to double two-way trade by 2030,” it said.

They also discussed the impacts of geopolitical instability for the Indo-Pacific region and the need for trusted partners in the energy and agriculture sectors. Modi is scheduled to visit Canada in December.

India is the first stop on Anand’s two-nation tour, the second being the UAE. She is scheduled to meet external affairs minister S. Jaishankar. According to the Canadian department of foreign affairs, trade and development, Anand will discuss priority areas such as trade, energy, people-to-people ties, besides security and defence cooperation in her meeting with Jaishankar.

The two countries are currently negotiating a free-trade pact — the India-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The two sides concluded the fifth round of negotiations in Canada last week and are hoping to close the deal by the year-end.

Sidhu met commerce minister Piyush Goyal during the day and is scheduled to visit Mumbai and Bengaluru, too. About their meeting, Goyal said on X: “Engaged in a productive discussion with Maninder Sidhu.... Discussed advancing the India-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations, with a focus on a balanced, mutually beneficial agreement that enhances market access & unlocks new trade and investment opportunities.”