There are some real issues that need to be solved, Canada‘s prime minister Justin Trudeau said after having a “brief” meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Laos.
Trudeau disclosed that he had a concise dialogue with PM Modi, CBC News reported on Friday. After the meeting, Trudeau said that he told PM Modi there are real issues they need to be resolve.
“I won’t go into details about what we talked about, but what I’ve said many times is that the safety of Canadians and upholding the rule of law is one of the fundamental responsibilities of any Canadian government, and that’s what I’ll stay focused on,” Trudeau told reporters.
This interaction occurred a year after Trudeau accused the Indian government of being involved in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in British Columbia.
This marks the second encounter between Trudeau and PM Modi since their relationship turned sour in September 2023, following Trudeau’s statement in the House of Commons about Canada pursuing “credible allegations” connecting India to the terrorist’s death.
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The case in question involves the shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar by masked individuals outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia in June 2023.
Four Indian nationals are accused of murder and conspiracy in connection to Nijjar’s murder.
When questioned about the threat, Trudeau affirmed that the safety of Canadians is a top priority.
“We are seeing troubling patterns of violence affecting Indo-Canadians right across the country over the past number of months and this is an issue that I can assure you that we will continue to be very, very seized with,” Trudeau responded to a question.
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Trudeau made the comment at a press conference in Vientiane, Laos after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit wrapped up.
India rejected Canada’s “absurd” allegations and accused Canada of harboring violent extremists
“We are a democratic polity with a strong commitment to rule of law. Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The inaction of the Canadian Government on this matter has been a long-standing and continuing concern,” the Indian government had said in a statement.
