Amid tension between India-Canada, Justin Trudeau dials PM Modi for vaccine
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New Delhi, February 11: Amid the ongoing tension between Canada and India, Canada PM Justin Trudeau called PM Narendra Modi and informed him about Canada's requirements of COVID-19 vaccines from India. Following this, PM assured him that India would do its best to facilitate supplies of the vaccine sought under India's Vaccine Maitri Initiative.
Apart from vaccine, the two prime ministers also reaffirmed their common interests in a free and open Indo-Pacific, and the importance of working together on global challenges such as climate change, strengthening global trade, and reinforcing the rules-based international order.
They also discussed their commitment to democratic principles, recent protests, and the importance of resolving issues through dialogue with PM Modi. They underlined the need to work collectively in rebuilding a more sustainable and resilient global economy.
During the telephonic conversation, both the leaders underscored the importance of the Canada-India strategic partnership anchored in shared values, strong people-to-people ties, and growing bilateral economic cooperation. The two leaders looked forward to working together at the G7, G20, and other international forums.
It should be noted that India has been sending out vaccine doses in large numbers to other countries under the "Vaccine Maitri" initiative. Till now, as many as 15 countries have received COVID-19 vaccine supplies from India, while another 25 countries are queued at different levels to receive supplies, Union Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar has said.
This phone call has come days after, Canadian opposition lawmakers questioned if Trudeau government for not asking India and Modi for the vaccine. Michelle Rempel Garner, a Conservative MP and Shadow Minister for Health, in a meeting of the standing committee on health, asked “Has the minister or Prime Minister phoned Prime Minister Modi to ask if we could get vaccines from India?”
Moreover, this phone also comes amid when the tension between the countries has raised after the Canadian PM and his administration meddled in India's internal affairs over the farmer protests. The matter goes so high that India released the statement giving warning to Canada that the comment on India's internal affairs are unwarranted, unacceptable, and it would damage India-Canada bilateral relations.