Canada on Friday unexpectedly said it had put on hold talks with India on a proposed trade treaty, just three months after the two nations said that they aim to seal an initial agreement this year. The development comes as the countdown begins for India to hold the G20 Summit on September 9 and 10 which will also be attended by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Ottawa and New Delhi have been talking off and on since 2010 on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement and last year, the talks had been relaunched formally.
“Trade negotiations are long, complex processes. And we’ve paused to take stock of where we are,” said a government official as quoted by news agency Reuters.
Speaking to the Canadian press on Friday, Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma said Ottawa had sought a pause “within the last month” but had not explained why, the report added.
In May this year, the two countries said they aimed to seal an initial agreement to increase trade and expand investment while setting out a mechanism to deal with disputes.
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According to the report, a top Indian trade official said last month that New Delhi planned to hold bilateral free trade talks with Canada and other nations on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.
Trudeau will attend the two-day G20 summit in New Delhi on September 9 and 10 after participating in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Jakarta and a bilateral visit to Singapore, stated a release by the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office.
“While in the Indo-Pacific region next week, the Prime Minister will reaffirm Canada’s commitment to strengthening economic co-operation and removing trade barriers to create good middle-class jobs and make life more affordable for people on both sides of the Pacific. He will also work with his counterparts to strengthen ties between our peoples and drive climate action,” the release said.
