EXTERNAL AFFAIRS Minister S Jaishankar on Monday held wide-ranging talks with visiting Canadian Foreign minister Melanie Joly with a thrust on boosting overall bilateral engagement, including in areas of trade and investment.

Joly, who began her two-day visit to India on Monday, said both ministers reviewed the progress in bilateral relations, which are anchored in shared democratic values, growing economic linkages, security cooperation, mobility of students and professionals and strong people-to-people ties. “Both sides expressed interest in deepening collaboration across domains and looked forward to the Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA),” the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

The MEA said India welcomed the announcement of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, given the shared vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

“They exchanged views on India’s priorities during its ongoing G20 Presidency and agreed to work together to ensure its success,” said the MEA statement.

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The statement also said that the ministers had the opportunity to deliberate on contemporary issues, including developments in India’s neighbourhood, Ukraine and cooperation in the United Nations. “Both sides strengthened their commitment to deepen bilateral ties,” it said.

Joly also met officials of a number of Canadian business firms operating in India.

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“India’s economic and population growth are driving demand for education, health services, food, critical minerals and green infrastructure. These are all sectors of Canadian strength and we must grasp these opportunities,” she tweeted.

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