Disclosing this information, the Ministry of External Affairs wrote on the social media platform X, “A warm welcome to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on his first official visit to India in Mumbai. This visit is an important step towards further strengthening India-Canada relations. Jai Kumar Rawal, Minister of Protocol and Marketing, Government of Maharashtra, welcomed him at the airport. The India-Canada partnership is based on shared democratic values, strong people-to-people ties, and growing cooperation across various sectors.”

According to information shared by the Ministry of External Affairs, PM Carney will attend an event in Mumbai on February 28. He will then arrive in New Delhi on March 1. In New Delhi, he will meet with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar at Hotel Leela Palace on March 2nd at 9:00 AM. He will then meet with PM Modi at Hyderabad House at 10:30 AM.

At 11:40 AM, the MoU will be exchanged between the two countries, followed by press statements. At 1:50 PM, the India-Canada CEO Forum, attended by the Prime Ministers of both countries, will commence at Bharat Mandapam. PM Carney will depart for his country at 6:00 PM.

They will also review ongoing cooperation in key pillars such as trade and investment, energy, essential minerals, agriculture, education, research and innovation, and people-to-people ties. The two leaders will also share views on regional and global developments.

The Ministry of External Affairs stated that PM Carney’s visit comes at a crucial juncture in normalizing India-Canada relations. The two Prime Ministers have agreed to advance a constructive and balanced partnership based on mutual respect for each other’s concerns, strong people-to-people ties, and growing economic complementarities.

The upcoming meeting between the two leaders will provide an opportunity to reaffirm India and Canada’s positive momentum and shared vision for building a forward-looking partnership.

Earlier, a statement issued by the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office on Monday said that the two leaders will focus on expanding and strengthening Canada-India relations, including ambitious new partnerships in trade, energy, technology and AI, talent and culture, and defence. Carney will meet with business leaders to identify investment opportunities in Canada and forge new partnerships between businesses from both countries.

Carney’s office said, “Through these visits to three of Canada’s strongest Indo-Pacific partner countries, the Prime Minister will further deepen regional relationships, which are vital to our security and prosperity.”

It further said, “In an uncertain world, Canada is focusing on what we can control. We are diversifying our trade and attracting significant new investment to create new opportunities for our workers and businesses. We are building new partnerships abroad to create greater certainty, security, and prosperity at home.”

The Canadian government also noted that India is the world’s fastest-growing major economy and a powerhouse in global commerce and technology. In 2024, India was Canada’s seventh-largest textile and services trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching $30.8 billion.

-IANS

KK/VC

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This is India’s seventh FTA in recent years, following those with Oman, the United Kingdom, EFTA countries, the UAE, Australia, and Mauritius. The leaders of both countries agreed that the FTA will serve as a catalyst for greater trade, investment, innovation, and opportunities between the two countries. They also welcomed developments in other areas of bilateral relations, including defense, sports, education, and people-to-people ties.

During the talks, the two leaders expressed confidence in doubling bilateral trade in the next five years and generating $20 billion in investment from New Zealand to India over the next 15 years.

A statement in this regard was also issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). According to the statement, negotiations began in March this year, and the two leaders concluded the FTA in a record time of nine months. This demonstrates the shared ambition and political will to further deepen relations between the two countries.

The PMO statement said, “The FTA will significantly deepen economic engagement between the two countries, enhance market access, increase investment flows, strengthen strategic cooperation between the two countries, and open up new opportunities in various sectors for innovators, entrepreneurs, farmers, MSMEs, students, and youth in both countries.”

The Prime Ministers also welcomed progress made in other areas of mutual cooperation between India and New Zealand, such as sports, education, and people-to-people ties, and reiterated their commitment to further strengthen this partnership.

This historic free trade agreement either completely eliminates or significantly reduces tariffs on 95% of New Zealand’s exports. This is considered the largest tariff concession in any Indian FTA to date.

Approximately 57% of products will receive duty-free access on day one, increasing to 82% upon full implementation. Furthermore, tariffs will be significantly reduced on the remaining 13% of products.

According to an official statement issued by New Zealand, this puts New Zealand exporters on par with or better than our competitors in many sectors. It also opens up opportunities for India’s rapidly growing middle class.

It further stated, “The Indian economy is projected to grow to NZ$12 trillion by 2030. The India-New Zealand free trade agreement creates enormous potential for our exporters in the world’s largest country and will significantly accelerate progress towards New Zealand’s ambitious goal of doubling the value of exports in 10 years.”

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“I hope the agreement we have reached will help us get closer to that goal (finding a solution) and pave the way for peace in Ukraine. I think we had a very productive meeting. There were many issues on which we (President Putin and I) agreed,” Trump said.

The agreement will also be important for India as the US has announced a 25 per cent punitive duty on India for buying Russian oil.

However, neither leader has yet given any details of the agreement or said whether there will be a ceasefire or not.

“There are some major agreements that we haven’t reached yet, but we have made some progress. An agreement is probably the most important, but we have a very good chance of reaching that. We haven’t reached it, but we have a very good chance of getting there,” Trump said cryptically.

“I will call NATO and all the people I think are appropriate, and, of course, I will call President (Volodymyr) Zelensky to let him know about today’s meeting,” he added.

Going into the summit, Trump said he would not negotiate on Ukraine’s behalf, and it was up to Zelensky to reach an agreement.

“So until there is an agreement, there is no agreement,” he said at a press conference.

The two presidents did not answer reporters’ questions.

“We have to improve the situation in order to move from confrontation to negotiation,” Putin said.

“No matter how strange it may sound under these circumstances, we (Russia and Ukraine) have the same roots and what is happening is a tragedy and a terrible wound for us. Therefore, the country is sincerely interested in ending it,” he said.

Replacing the three phases previously scheduled at the beginning of the summit, they went straight to the second phase. This phase was attended by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yudi Ushakova, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

It did not seem that the third phase was lunch with officials. Trump welcomed Putin on the red carpet and they continued talking in a friendly manner as they got into the limousine.

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French President Emmanuel Macron posted on the social media platform ‘X’ and said, “Heartiest congratulations to the people of India on their 79th Independence Day. I miss welcoming my friend Narendra Modi to France in February, and I look forward to deepening our strategic partnership till 2047 and beyond.”

Last month, French Minister Jean-Noel Barrot had emphasized that France and India are united and both countries are inspired by shared ambitions.

Thanking External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for extending his greetings to the French government and people of France on the country’s National Day on July 14, Barrot wrote, “Let’s further strengthen our strategic partnership.

Reaffirming the strong and long-term strategic partnership between India and France, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Paris in June, within four months of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic visit to France for the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit.

Macron and Prime Minister Modi are committed to fully implementing the Horizon 2047 Roadmap and the Defence Industrial Roadmap.

This roadmap sets the course for bilateral relations until 2047, which will celebrate the centenary of India’s independence, the centenary of diplomatic relations between the two countries and 50 years of strategic partnership.

The two sides also expressed satisfaction at the progress made in bilateral cooperation in emerging areas such as technology, innovation, trade, investment, health, life sciences, education, talent mobility, museum cooperation and people-to-people ties, and also discussed new avenues of cooperation to further strengthen bilateral ties. There has also been an emphasis on exploring new avenues.

New Delhi and Paris are also looking forward to celebrating the India-France Innovation Year next year in a grand manner, which will add another dimension to bilateral relations.

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According to the ISPR, the China-made F-7 BGI training aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force took off at 1:06 pm local time on Monday and crashed into the building of Milestone School and College in Uttara, Dhaka at around 1.30 pm.

“We received information at 1:18 pm that an aircraft has crashed near Milestone School and College in Uttara,” Lima Khanam, duty officer of the Fire Service Control Room, was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune. Eight units from Uttara, Tongi, Palhbi, Kurmitola, Mirpur and Purbachal fire stations are working at the spot for rescue operations.

In the video going viral on social media, several people can be seen at the spot. The four injured people were shifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) by an Air Force helicopter, the ISPR reported.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Uttara Division Deputy Police Commissioner Mohidul Islam told the media, “A training aircraft has crashed in the Milestone College area. Rescue operations are underway and more details will be provided soon.”

According to eyewitnesses, the aircraft suddenly collided with the school building with a loud noise, causing panic among students and staff.

The fighter jet took off at around 1:06 pm and crashed soon after take-off, officials said. The aircraft caught fire after the crash. Eight fire engines rushed to the spot to douse the fire.

A spokesperson of Milestone School and College said the aircraft crashed near the school gate. Classes were going on in the school premises where the aircraft crashed.

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In fact, Doval had challenged the foreign media and said that if India has suffered any damage, then show even a single photo, even a single satellite image. Even if a glass is broken, tell us. We knew who was where and we targeted that place. We did not make any mistake.

After this statement of Doval, there was a stir in Pakistan. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry held a press conference on Saturday and termed Doval’s statement as ‘full of sabotage and lies’. Along with this, Pakistan accused India of violating sovereignty and flouting international laws.

Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan said, “Doval’s statement is a deliberate false propaganda. It is a violation of all standards of responsible diplomacy. India’s boasting of such a military attack is a serious violation of the United Nations Charter.”

It was also alleged that the targets which India described as terrorist hideouts were actually civilian areas and civilians died there. Shafqat Ali Khan said that the international community will now have to take this seriously. If rein is not put in place, we have seen its consequences.

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In fact, recently there was news in the Pakistani media that Moscow and Islamabad are working together to increase industrial cooperation. Under this, new steel mills will be set up in Pakistan, so that cooperation like the 1970s can be revived, when the Soviet Union designed and financed Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM).

According to Pakistani media, a meeting was held in Islamabad on May 13 between Pakistan Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Haroon Akhtar Khan and Moscow’s representative Denis Nazarof to consider this.

Regarding this meeting, the Express Tribune reported that the two officials held extensive discussions on the possibilities of cooperation and agreed to form a joint working group to set up a steel mill in Karachi.

During the talks, the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan said that Pakistan is a safe and prosperous center for investment. Along with this, he claimed that the international community has recognized its potential.

These reports raised concerns and doubts, as Pakistan’s economy is dependent on relief packages provided by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Sources in Moscow acknowledged the talks on the issue, but condemned reports that claimed that ‘contracts worth billions of dollars’ have been signed between the two countries.

He said that through the “fake and fabricated” report, Pakistan has made another unsuccessful attempt to harm the India-Russia special and privileged strategic partnership, which has been strengthened during ‘Operation Sindoor’ earlier this month targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

When asked about the Pakistani media reports, a senior Russian government official on Friday said that it is an exaggerated news being spread by someone for sensational reasons to spoil Russia-India relations.

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This statement came when India carried out air strikes at nine places in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) by carrying out “Operation Sindoor”. India says that these attacks were carried out on terrorist hideouts. In response, Pakistan has also claimed retaliation near the Line of Control (LoC).

Speaking to Bloomberg, Khawaja Asif said that Pakistan has full right to its security. He said that Pakistan did not start the attack, but only responded to India’s attack.

He said, “All this has been started by India. If India backs down, we will also end the tension. But as long as we are attacked, we will have to protect ourselves.”

Pakistan’s Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR) chief General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhary said that at least 26 people were killed and 46 injured in these air strikes. These attacks took place in those areas of PoK and Punjab province where according to India there were hideouts of terrorists.

In view of this situation, a red alert has been issued in Pakistan. All government hospitals have been asked to be ready, the country’s air borders have been closed for 24 to 36 hours, all schools and colleges in Islamabad and Punjab have been closed and security forces have been alerted.

Common people are scared of these attacks and retaliation. They are worried that this situation may take the form of a big war between the two countries.

India carried out attacks at six different places inside Pakistan. These include Masjid Subhanallah – which is said to be the hideout of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar in Ahmedpur Sharqia area of ​​Bahawalpur city in Pakistan’s southern Punjab province.

Apart from this, attacks were also carried out in Muridke, which is believed to be the headquarters of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed. Other attacks were also carried out in Muzaffarabad, Kotli and Bagh cities.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has called an emergency meeting to discuss the situation. In this, the security situation and further strategy regarding India will be considered.

This meeting will also decide what stand Pakistan will take on the messages of peace and restraint given by other countries including the US, so that the increasing tension between the two nuclear-armed countries can be stopped.

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Amid the attacks by the Indian Army, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif will address the nation on Wednesday afternoon. He has also called an emergency National Security Committee (NSC) meeting at the Prime Minister’s residence to discuss the current security situation in the country and future action against India.

This important meeting will formulate policy and also consider the intervention of global powers, including the United States, who have called on both sides to exercise restraint and reduce the rapidly escalating tension between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

In fact, after the attack on terrorist hideouts by India, all educational institutions in the capital Islamabad and Punjab province have also been closed and all security forces have been asked to be ready.

Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhary, Director General of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said that at least 26 people have been killed and 46 others injured in the air strikes.

New Delhi said that the air strikes targeted terrorist camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Punjab province. India’s attacks and Islamabad’s retaliation have shocked the locals, who fear that this could lead to a full-fledged war between the two countries. These attacks were carried out in response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22, in which four terrorists brutally killed 26 civilians.

The strikes by the Indian Army targeted six different locations in Pakistan, including Masjid Subhanallah in Ahmadpur Sharqia area of ​​Bahawalpur city, the alleged hideout of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar.

Apart from this, several attacks were also carried out in other areas including Muridke, the alleged hideout and headquarters of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, besides other places in Muzaffarabad, Kotli and Bagh cities.

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He stressed that the culprits of this heinous attack and their supporters should be brought to justice. Both the leaders reiterated their commitment to further deepen the strategic partnership between India and Russia.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal wrote on social media platform X, “President Putin called Prime Minister Narendra Modi and strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. He expressed deep condolences on the death of innocent people and reaffirmed India’s full support in the fight against terrorism. He emphasised that the perpetrators of this heinous attack and their supporters must be brought to justice. The two leaders reiterated their commitment to further strengthen the privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia. Prime Minister Modi conveyed his best wishes to President Putin on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day and invited him to the annual summit to be held in India later this year.”

In the wake of the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has reportedly refused to represent India at the 80th anniversary celebrations of Victory Day to be held in Moscow on May 9.

It was earlier expected that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would attend Russia’s Victory Day celebrations. Though no official reason was given for his absence, it is believed to be due to the security situation after the Pahalgam attack.

Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan over the Pahalgam terror attack, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Monday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting came a day after Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh met Prime Minister Modi and they are believed to have discussed the security situation.

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