There has been tension in diplomatic relations between India and Canada. Canada has also taken out 41 of its diplomats from India. Amidst all this, the statement of External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar has come to light on Sunday.
On Visa services in Canada, the EAM Dr. S Jaishankar said: “The relationship right now is going through a difficult phase. But I do want to say the problems we have are with a certain segment of Canadian politics and the policies which flow from that. Right now the big concern which people have is on visas. Some weeks ago, we stopped issuing visas in Canada because it was no longer safe for our diplomats to go to work to issue visas. So their safety and security was the primary reason we had to temporarily stop the issue of visas. We’re tracking it very closely.”
“My hope, my expectation is that situation would improve in the sense that our people would have greater confidence in being able to do their basic duty as diplomats. Because ensuring safety and security of diplomats is the most fundamental aspect of the Vienna Convention. And right now that is what has in many ways been challenged in Canada that our people are not safe, our diplomats are not safe. So if we see progress there, I would like very much to resume the issue of visas. My hope would be that it would be something which should happen very soon,” the EAM further added, as quoted by ANI.
#WATCH | On Visa services in Canada, EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, "The relationship right now is going through a difficult phase. But I do want to say the problems we have are with a certain segment of Canadian politics and the policies which flow from that. Right now the big… pic.twitter.com/GfF7um38Ls
— ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2023
The External Affairs Minister also spoke on the Canadian diplomatic presence in India and said “we invoked parity because we had concerns about continuous interference in our affairs by Canadian personnel.”
“There’s this whole issue of parity that the size of how many diplomats there are of one country versus how many diplomats there are of the other country. Parity is very much provided for by the Vienna Convention, which is the relevant international rule on this. But in our case, we invoked parity because we had concerns about continuous interference in our affairs by Canadian personnel. We haven’t made much of that public,” said EAM Dr S Jaishankar. (As quoted by ANI)
#WATCH | On Canadian diplomatic presence in India, EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, "There's this whole issue of parity that the size of how many diplomats there are of one country versus how many diplomats there are of the other country. Parity is very much provided for by the Vienna… pic.twitter.com/xJmk80GHHS
— ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2023
“My sense is over a period of time more stuff will come out and people will understand why we had the kind of discomfort with many of them which we did,” he added.
It is noteworthy that pro-Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of being involved in Nijjar’s murder, following which relations between the two countries soured.
