EAM Jaishankar on why India asked Canada to downsize its diplomatic presence
New Delhi: India invoked the provision of parity in Canada’s diplomatic presence in the country in view of concerns over interference in New Delhi’s affairs by Canadian personnel, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday.
The external affairs minister also said that India is likely to resume issuance of visas to Canadians if it sees progress in the safety of Indian diplomats in Canada.
Days after Trudeau’s allegations, India announced temporarily suspending issuance of visas to Canadian citizens and asked Ottawa to downsize its diplomatic presence in the country.
On downsizing Canada’s diplomatic presence in India, he said diplomatic parity is very much provided for in the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.
“Parity is very much provided for by the Vienna Convention, which is the relevant international rule on this. In our case, we invoked parity because we had concerns about continuous interference in our affairs by Canadian personnel,” Jaishankar said.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, announcing the return of the diplomats from India, on Thursday described New Delhi’s action “contrary to international law,” and in violation of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations. India has already rejected the charge.
Jaishankar said the relationship between India and Canada right now is going through a difficult phase, adding that India has problems with certain segment of Canadian politics.
