'Will resume visas if...': Foreign minister Jaishankar amid India-Canada row
India-Canada row: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has stated that India may consider resuming visa services for Canadians in the near future, if it sees progress in the safety of its diplomats in Canada.
On Sunday, Jaishankar expressed optimism about the possibility of resuming visa services, saying, "If we see progress there, I would very much like to resume the issue of visas."
This move comes amid a tense diplomatic standstill with Canada. EAM Jaishankar also stressed that India's actions are in line with the Vienna Convention.
The recent halt in visa services was primarily due to concerns about the safety and security of Indian diplomats in Canada. According to Jaishankar, Ottawa's inability to provide a secure environment violates the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations' core principles.
On Canada's diplomatic presence in India being reduced, he stated that diplomatic parity is much provided for in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
"Parity is very much provided for by the Vienna Convention, which is the relevant international rule on this. In our case, we invoked parity because we had concerns about continuous interference in our affairs by Canadian personnel," Jaishankar stated.
Canada has already removed 41 diplomats from India.
Following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations last month of "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the June killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, ties between India and Canada were severely strained.
Days after Justin Trudeau's allegations, India announced a temporary suspension of visa issuance to Canadian citizens and requested that Ottawa reduce its diplomatic presence in the country.
- With inputs from agencies
