India and Canada have agreed to deepen defence and security cooperation and conclude negotiations on a free trade agreement by the year-end.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney expressed satisfaction at progress in resetting bilateral ties after a troubled patch over the past few years.
The two leaders welcomed "positive momentum" in bilateral relations and expressed satisfaction in progress made since the Canadian PM's visit to India in March.
They agreed to launch negotiations on a "General Security of Information Agreement", which will allow the sharing of sensitive information and intelligence.
Both sides expressed satisfaction with the progress in negotiations towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and reaffirmed their shared objective of concluding the negotiations in 2026.
India-Canada relations cratered when former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau alleged in September 2023 that Indian government agents were linked to the murder of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in the town of Surrey that year.
The two sides resumed contacts between security agencies late in 2024 as part of efforts to improve ties, and Carney's victory in the 2025 general election gave a boost to these steps.
