EAM cites interference for cutting Canada staff

NEW DELHI: India is looking at resuming visa services for Canadians “very soon” if it sees progress in the safety of its diplomats in Canada, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday, even as he asserted that New Delhi’s decision on ensuring parity in diplomatic presence with that country is in line with the Vienna Convention.

In comments that came days after Ottawa pulled out 41 of its diplomats from India, Jaishankar said New Delhi insisted on having diplomatic parity as it had concerns about the “continuous interference in our affairs by Canadian personnel”. “We have not made much of that public. My sense is that 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 said, replying to a question on the India-Canada ties at an interactive session. India has already rejected Canada’s contention that the move for the withdrawal of Canadian diplomats is a violation of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.

“The relationship right now is going through a difficult phase. But I do want to say that the problems we have are with a certain segment of Canadian politics and the policies which flow from that,” Jaishankar said.

The ties between India and Canada nosedived after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged on September 18 that there was a potential link between Indian agents and the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June.

New Delhi strongly trashed the charges. Days later, it announced temporarily suspending issuance of visas to Canadian citizens and asked Ottawa to downsize its diplomatic presence in India. “My expectation is that the situation would improve in the sense that our people would have greater confidence in being able to do their basic duty as diplomats because as you know, ensuring the safety and security of diplomats is the most fundamental aspect of the Vienna convention,” Jaishankar said.

Referring to the issue of diplomatic parity, he said “it is very much provided for by the Vienna Convention, which is the relevant international rule on this”.

Any expectation that conflicts and terrorism can be contained in their impact is no longer tenable, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday. Jaishankar, delving into geopolitical upheavals witnessing the world, said the ripple impact of what is taking place right now in the Middle East is still not entirely clear. The minister said the consequences of various conflicts in a globalised world spread far beyond immediate geographies while citing the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war.

“In different regions, there are smaller happenings whose impact is not inconsequential,” he said. Talking about the challenge of dealing with violence, Jaishankar said, “There is also the less formal version that is very pervasive. I am speaking about terrorism which has long been honed and practised as a tool of statecraft.” “A big part of this is clearly economic, but do not underestimate the danger of metastasis when it comes to radicalism and extremism,” he added.