Carney Non-Committal on India’s Interference; Landau Places US Interest First

After his recent visit to India, Canadian Prime Minister (PM) Mark Carney seems non-committal on Indian interference in Canada. In Sydney, Carney said he directly discussed the issues with Indian PM Narendra Modi during their recent visit and 'there is progress on these issues.' He further said, 'We will not tolerate foreign interference or transnational repression, by anyone—and I stress by anyone.' Carney said weighing in on the larger interference issue could stymie the ongoing Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar assassination case in which four alleged hitmen—all Indian nationals who arrived in Canada in recent years—are accused of carrying out the killing. He said, 'There is a process underway. This is a criminal procedure and my job is to make sure that I do not say anything that prejudices the prospect of justice being served.' Meanwhile, as part of broader efforts to strengthen academic cooperation and research collaboration between Canada and India, Canada has announced a CAD 135M scholarship initiative aimed at expanding higher education opportunities for Indian students. The program will sponsor up to 200 fully funded scholarships administered through the University of Toronto for Indian students who are admitted to participating Canadian institutions. The scholarships will support students across multiple levels of study, including undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and postdoctoral programs. In many cases, the funding may also cover living expenses and research-related costs in addition to tuition. Concurrently, at the Raisina Dialogue, India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics held between 5–7 Mar in New Delhi, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said while the US wants to work with India to unlock its 'limitless potential,' India should understand that 'we are not going to make the same mistakes with India that we made with China 20 years ago.' Landau said, 'The purpose of US foreign policy is to advance our country’s national interests. We are not a charity organization.' On the US-India trade deal, he said, '(the deal) is almost at the finishing line now. It is in our interest.' Landau’s statements provide credence to the objections Indian farmers have posed to the deal in recent months (earlier coverage).