NEW DELHI: After an ugly diplomatic spat over the killing of a Khalistan separatist that saw bilateral ties hit rock bottom last year, India and Canada took a significant step forward Thursday to normalise the relationship as they announced appointments of high commissioners in each other’s capitals. This followed the agreement in June, when PM Narendra Modi met his counterpart Mark Carney, to take “calibrated and constructive” steps to stabilise ties.India announced the appointment of senior diplomat Dinesh Patnaik as the new high commissioner to Canada. Patnaik is presently India’s ambassador to Spain and is expected to take up his new assignment shortly, according to the ministry of external affairs. Shortly after that, Canadian foreign minister Anita Anand announced the name of veteran diplomat Christopher Cooter, who has experience of having served in India earlier, as the new high commissioner to India.Modi had met Carney on the margins of the G7 summit in Alberta in June, agreeing to take steps to rebuild the relationship based on shared democratic values, respect for the rule of law, and commitment to upholding the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.The two sides had then agreed to pursue a balanced partnership grounded in “mutual respect for concerns and sensitivities, strong people-to-people ties, and growing economic complementarities”. Official sources said India will continue to pursue with Canadian authorities the need to act against Khalistan separatists who seek to hurt Indian interests.India had expelled dozens of diplomats earlier, as the relationship took a nosedive over the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar for which Ottawa blamed the Indian govt. India always maintained that the govt led by Carney’s predecessor Justin Trudeau never provided any evidence to back its claim. While Canada expelled Indian high commissioner Sanjay Verma and five other Indian diplomats accusing them of running a campaign of violence in Oct last year, India had said Verma and others were withdrawn because Canadian authorities had failed to ensure security for him and other Indian diplomats in an “atmosphere of extremism and violence”.Ottawa Thursday described the fresh appointments as an important step towards restoring necessary diplomatic services to citizens and businesses in both countries.“The appointment of a new high commissioner reflects Canada’s step-by-step approach to deepening diplomatic engagement and advancing bilateral cooperation with India. This appointment is an important development toward restoring services for Canadians while strengthening the bilateral relationship to support Canada’s economy,” said Anand. In line with the understanding reached in the Modi-Carney meeting, the two sides are also considering restarting talks for Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA) that could clear the path for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).According to Canada, Cooter has 35 years of diplomatic experience, having served most recently as Canada’s charge d’affaires to Israel and as Canada’s high commissioner to South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Mauritius and Madagascar. He has also served as first secretary in the Canadian high commission to India, Nepal and Bhutan, in New Delhi, from 1998 to 2000.
