NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has reaffirmed its efforts to normalise India-Canada relations again, reiterating that both nations are working towards deploying High Commissioners in their respective capitals.

During a press briefing on Thursday, Jaiswal highlighted the progress, noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, held a discussion on the matter in Kananaskis on the sidelines of the G7 Summit last month.

He further expressed optimism in the "movement" of India-Canada ties.

"We had the meeting at the Prime Minister level in Kananaskis, where both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the importance of India-Canada ties and to rebuild these ties. We are working; both sides are now working towards it. We are also working to get High Commissioners deployed in the two capitals. We are positive about the movement in India-Canada ties," Jaiswal stated during the briefing.

Last month, the MEA had stated that both nations are working to reinstate the High Commissioners to each other's capitals in an effort to normalise relations between New Delhi and Ottawa, which had sharply deteriorated last year.

At a press briefing, Jaiswal said PM Modi and Carney had reaffirmed the importance of India-Canada ties during a meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis in Canada.

He added that both sides agreed to take constructive steps to "restore stability" in the relationship.

"We had issued a press release when we had the last meeting of PM Modi with Prime Minister Carney on the sidelines of the G7 in Kananaskis in Alberta. Both leaders then reaffirmed the importance of India-Canada ties based on shared democratic values, respect for the rule of law, and commitment to upholding the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Both sides agreed to take calibrated and constructive steps to restore stability in the relationship, beginning with the early return of high commissioners to each other's capitals," the MEA spokesperson said.

Diplomatic tensions between the two nations flared up last year after the former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that his government had "credible allegations" of India's involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in 2023.

India had strongly denied the charges, calling them "absurd" and "motivated". In response, India recalled six diplomats, including its High Commissioner to Canada, after they were labelled "persons of interest" by Canadian authorities investigating the killing. India also expelled six Canadian diplomats, including Canada's High Commissioner to India.

Nijjar was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. With Mark Carney now serving as the Canadian Prime Minister after Trudeau's resignation, both countries appear to be taking steps to improve ties.

According to the MEA, India and Canada also agreed to resume senior and working-level mechanisms and discussions in various areas, including trade, people-to-people contact, connectivity and collaboration in key areas like cooperating on clean energy and technology initiatives, collaborating on digital infrastructure projects, exploring opportunities for cooperation in artificial intelligence and discussing potential collaboration on food security and critical minerals.