Justin Trudeau to attend virtual G20 Summit amid India Canada diplomatic standoff

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau/ Pic/AFP

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is scheduled to participate in the virtual G20 Leaders' Summit hosted by India, despite the ongoing diplomatic tensions between India and Canada. Trudeau's confirmation comes amidst strained relations following allegations of Indian involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist in India, stated an agency report.

According to the report, Trudeau accused New Delhi of violating the Vienna Convention by expelling 40 diplomats, emphasizing Canada's pursuit of justice in the matter. However, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar highlighted the absence of evidence from the Canadian side, urging them to provide substantial proof for their claims.

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"From the very beginning when we learned of credible allegations that agents of the Indian government were involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil, we reached out to India to ask them to work with us in getting to the bottom of this matter. We also reached out to our friends and allies like the US and others to work on this really serious violation of international law and of the sovereignty of a democracy" Trudeau had said.

"This is something that we are taking very seriously. We will continue to work with all partners as law enforcement and investigative agencies continue to do their work. Canada is a country that will always stand up for the rule of law because if might starts to make right again, if bigger countries can violate international law without consequences, then the whole world gets more dangerous for everyone," he had said.

"Now, in the case of Mr Trudeau, I have discussed it also with my own counterpart. And we have told them, look, if you have a reason to make such an allegation, please share the evidence with us. We are not ruling out an investigation and looking at anything which they may have to offer. They haven't done so," Jaishankar had later told during an interview.

The G20 Virtual Summit, commencing at 5:30 pm today, is expected to witness significant participation from world leaders, addressing crucial global issues. Notable achievements since the New Delhi G20 Summit include commitments towards tripling global renewable energy capacity by 2030 and doubling energy efficiency improvement rates, the report added.

With agency inputs