US shared assessment, I put our concerns: Jaishankar on Canada

A US State Department spokesperson was quoted by news agency PTI saying, “Secretary Blinken also took the opportunity to urge India to cooperate fully with the ongoing Canadian investigation.”

On the current state of play between Delhi and Ottawa on the allegations, Jaishankar said the Canadian Prime Minister made some allegations “initially privately” and “then publicly”.

“Our response to him, both in private and public, was that his allegation was not consistent with our policy. And if he had, his government had anything relevant and specific, we would look into (it),” he said.

“We were open to looking at it now. That’s where that conversation is at this point of time,” he said.

On the Khalistan issue in Canada, Jaishankar said that in the last few years, the issue of Khalistan had come back very much into play, because of what “we consider to be a very permissive Canadian attitude towards terrorists, extremists, people who openly advocate violence and they have been given operating space in Canada because of the compulsions of Canadian politics”.

“For us, it has certainly been a country where organised crime from India, mixed with trafficking in people, mixed with secessionism, violence, terrorism. It’s a very toxic combination of issues and people who have found operating space there,” he said.

“A lot of our tensions with Canada which well preceded what Mr. Trudeau said,  actually come out of that. And today, I’m actually in a situation where my diplomats are unsafe going to the embassy or to the consulates in Canada,” he said.

Jaishankar said that Indian diplomats in Canada were publicly intimidated and “that has actually compelled me to temporarily suspend even visa operations in Canada. So, as I said, you know, often countries look very different depending on how you see them and what your interests are, but I have this problem in Canada.”

Earlier, US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller, in a readout of the meeting, had merely said Jaishankar and Blinken “discussed a full range of issues”, with no specific mention of the allegations made by the Canadian PM.

Miller said, “Secretary Blinken and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar discussed a full range of issues, including key outcomes of India’s G20 presidency, and the creation of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor and its potential to generate transparent, sustainable, and high-standard infrastructure investments.”

“The Secretary and the External Affairs Minister also emphasised the continued importance of cooperation ahead of the upcoming 2+2 Dialogue, in particular in the areas of defence, space, and clean energy,” the spokesperson said.

This was the first high-level meeting between the two sides since the diplomatic firestorm erupted last week after Trudeau made the allegations in the Canadian parliament. He made the statement in the wake of a news report on the allegations, which was due to be published that day by a leading Canadian newspaper.

Jaishankar, in a post on X, said, “Great to meet my friend US Secretary of State @SecBlinken at State Department today. A wide ranging discussion, following up on PM @narendramodi’s June visit. Also exchanged notes on global developments. Laid the groundwork of our 2+2 meeting very soon.”

Blinken said, “Thank you to Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar for hosting @POTUS earlier this month. We discussed India’s successful G20 presidency, creation of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, and the upcoming #USIndia 2+2 Dialogue in New Delhi.”

The fact that both sides did not mention the Canada issue in official statements and posts points to the careful diplomatic parleys in Washington DC, with the key interlocutors.

Ever since the diplomatic standoff began with Delhi rejecting Trudeau’s allegation, at least five senior US officials and diplomats – Blinken, Sullivan, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti and US Ambassador to Canada David Cohen – have made public statements: all of them measured with a nuanced message for both sides. In short, asking Delhi to cooperate, but also asking Ottawa to not jump the gun.

Washington has emerged as a key interlocutor between Delhi and Ottawa — since Canada is a close US ally and India a strong strategic partner.

Earlier in the day, Trudeau said in Montreal that he got assurances from the United States that Blinken would be raising the allegations made publicly during his meeting with Jaishankar.

On Thursday, Jaishankar met the US NSA. “Began my Washington DC visit with a meeting with NSA @JakeSullivan46. Recognized the tremendous progress in our bilateral relationship this year and discussed taking it forward,” he said in a tweet.

Jaishankar, who is on a five-day official trip to Washington DC, also said that New Delhi will host the fifth edition of India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. Sources said that the ministerial dialogue would be held in the first half of November.

The US delegation will be represented by Blinken along with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will lead the Indian delegation.

“I actually look forward to seeing you in Delhi for the 2+2,” Jaishankar told Blinken, who welcomed him at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department for the meeting.

The last 2+2 ministerial was held in Washington DC on April 11.