New Delhi: (Rajeev Sharma): In a move seen as an effort to restore balance in bilateral relations, India has extended an invitation to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to attend the upcoming Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in New Delhi this February. The event is expected to become a diplomatic platform for both sides to restart meaningful dialogue and strengthen trade cooperation after years of strained ties.
According to a report published by The Globe and Mail, the invitation signals a positive turn in India–Canada relations, which deteriorated sharply in 2023 after a diplomatic fallout over the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. The controversy, under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, led to a freeze in free trade discussions and reciprocal expulsions of diplomats.
Path Toward Reconciliation
Sources familiar with the matter revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mark Carney are expected to hold bilateral discussions during the summit, focusing on economic partnership, technology exchange, and regional security. The talks may also revisit the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) — a free trade framework that had been suspended amid the diplomatic dispute.
The shift in tone follows a meeting between Modi and Carney at the G7 Summit in Alberta earlier this year, where both leaders expressed a shared interest in stabilizing relations and exploring areas of mutual benefit. Since then, officials from both nations have engaged in backchannel talks to rebuild trust and cooperation.
Technology and Trade at the Core
The AI Action Summit will bring together leaders, innovators, and policymakers from across the world to discuss the future of artificial intelligence and its ethical, economic, and social implications. India’s invitation to Carney highlights its intent to involve Canada in global technology initiatives while fostering stronger economic partnerships.
Analysts note that, amid ongoing US trade restrictions and shifting global supply chains, both countries are looking to diversify their economic ties and focus on digital innovation, sustainability, and knowledge sharing.
If Prime Minister Carney accepts the invitation, it would mark his first official visit to India since taking office and a potential diplomatic reset after two years of tension. The visit is being viewed as an opportunity to usher in a new era of pragmatic engagement, blending diplomacy with technological collaboration in one of the most promising sectors of the decade.
