Delhi/Evian (France), June 16 (HS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday held talks on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian, France, reviewing the progress in bilateral relations and reaffirming their commitment to building a forward-looking strategic partnership.

The two leaders welcomed the positive momentum in India-Canada relations and expressed satisfaction over the progress achieved since Prime Minister Carney's visit to India in March this year.

According to an official statement, the leaders highlighted the complementarities between the Indian and Canadian economies and emphasized the importance of resilient and reliable supply chains in strengthening global energy and food security.

The two Prime Ministers reviewed bilateral economic cooperation, including developments related to liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and metallurgical coal. They also welcomed the growing momentum in high-level exchanges between the two countries and looked forward to further engagement in trade and investment.

Both sides expressed satisfaction over the progress in negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and reaffirmed their shared objective of concluding the agreement in 2026.

In a significant development, the leaders agreed to launch negotiations on a General Security of Information Agreement (GSOIA) to further deepen defence and security cooperation. They also welcomed recent exchanges between defence institutions of the two countries.

The two sides reviewed cooperation in science and technology, innovation, education, migration and skill development. They also welcomed ongoing collaboration under the Canada-India Talent and Innovation Strategy.

Prime Minister Modi expressed support for Canada's candidature to become a Dialogue Partner of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).

The leaders also announced the establishment of 'Raisina Americas' as a platform to strengthen dialogue, exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.

Prime Minister Modi thanked Prime Minister Carney for the invitation to visit Canada later this year. Both leaders agreed to remain in touch through diplomatic channels to finalize mutually convenient dates for the visit.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar