India, Canada to resume FTA talks after 21-month pause

India and Canada have agreed to resume negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) that were suspended in September 2023, just before New Delhi was to host the G-20 Summit.

- Mukesh Jagota

INDIA AND CANADA have agreed to resume negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) that were suspended in September 2023, just before New Delhi was to host the G-20 Summit.

In the first meeting between Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Kananaskis in Canada, both leaders made the decision to normalize the ties beginning with the early return of High Commissioners to the capitals.

"The leaders also discussed the importance of restarting the stalled negotiations on the Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA), with a view to paving the way for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)," a statement by the ministry of external affairs said.