G20 Summit: Justin Trudeau assures PM Modi of action on Khalistanis, but cites freedom of expression, peaceful protest

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held a meeting with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

During the meeting, Trudeau assured stringent action against Khalistani extremism.

Addressing the media, Trudeau said both Khalistani extremism and foreign interference issues were touched upon during the meeting with PM Modi.

“Both the issues came up. Over the years, with PM Modi, we have had many conversations on both of those issues… Canada will always defend freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, and freedom of peaceful protest and it is extremely important to us… at the same time we are always there to prevent violence and to push back against hatred. I think on the issue of the community; it is important to remember that the actions of the few do not represent the entire community or Canada. The flip side of it, we also highlighted the importance of respecting the rule of law and we did talk about foreign interference,” Trudeau said.

‘India an important partner to Canada’

Trudeau further said that Canada recognises that India is an extraordinarily important economy in the world and an important partner his country on everything from fighting climate change to creating growth and prosperity for the citizens.

“There is always a lot of work to do and we will continue to do it,” he added.

#WATCH | Delhi: On India-Canada relations and his relation with PM Modi, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says, “We recognise that India is an extraordinarily important economy in the world and an important partner to Canada on everything from fighting climate change to… pic.twitter.com/crpccU7OLu

— ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2023

'Discussed India-Canada ties': PM Modi

Sharing the picture of his meeting with Trudeau on X, PM Modi said: "We discussed the full range of India-Canada ties across different sectors."

Met PM @JustinTrudeau on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. We discussed the full range of India-Canada ties across different sectors. pic.twitter.com/iP9fsILWac

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 10, 2023

However, there was no formal meeting between Modi and Trudeau.

Ahead of his visit to India, Trudeau told media in Singapore that he would raise the issue of "foreign interference" in internal affairs with PM Modi. India has maintained that there has been no interference and that it has only raised concerns over Khalistani extremism being fostered in Canada.

The decision for pull aside talks was taken amid India’s concerns over growing Khalistan extremism in Canada.

What is a pull-aside meeting?

A pull aside is an informal meeting. It is a step down from a bilateral meeting and can take place even in hallways.

Trudeau arrived in India on Friday for the G20 Summit that was held at Bharat Mandapan in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi under India's presidency. He was accompanied by his son Xavier.

With inputs from agencies