External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that he discussed the “present state” of bilateral ties and the current global issues with his Canadian counterpart Melanie Joly, amidst a diplomatic row between the two countries over the killing of a Sikh separatist in Canada. The two leaders met on Friday on the sidelines of the prestigious Munich Security Conference in Germany.

The meeting comes amid bitterness in bilateral ties over the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil last year. “Met my Canadian counterpart FM @melaniejoly on the sidelines of MSC2024. Our conversation understandably focused on the present state of our bilateral ties. Was also useful to exchange views on the global situation,” Jaishankar posted on X. Joly also posted about her meeting with Jaishankar on X.

“At MSC2024, Dr S Jaishankar and I had a frank discussion on Canada-India relations and the current global issues, including Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine,” she wrote. The ties between India and Canada came under strain following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations on September 18 of the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia province. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020. India has rejected the Canadian government’s charges as “absurd and motivated.”