MUNICH, Germany — External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand met today at the 2026 Munich Security Conference, marking another high-level step in the “normalization” of ties between New Delhi and Ottawa. The meeting comes just months after the two nations issued a landmark joint statement in late 2025 to restore stability to their partnership.
From Friction to Focus: A Shift in Portfolio
The dialogue was notably led by Anand in her capacity as Foreign Ministerreflecting a shift from pure defense cooperation to a broader “Joint Road Map” that spans trade, technology, and law enforcement.
The Context: Relations have improved steadily following the 2025 G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, where PM Narendra Modi and PM Mark Carney agreed to “rebuild trust.”
Security & Law Enforcement: A major highlight of today’s talks was the progress on a shared workplan between India’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and Canada’s Public Safety Minister, focusing on curbing transnational organized crime and illicit drug flows.
Strategic & Economic Convergence
The ministers discussed several pillars of the emerging Canada-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA):
AI & Technology: Canada reaffirmed its support for the India-AI Impact Summit taking place next week (February 19-20, 2026).
Energy Security: Discussions touched upon civil nuclear cooperation and the critical minerals needed for India’s green energy transition.
Global Governance: Dr. Jaishankar emphasized India’s role as a “first responder” in the Indo-Pacific, while Minister Anand reiterated Canada’s commitment to multilateral security.
Addressing the “Middle Power” Narrative
During the conference, Dr. Jaishankar also addressed recent comments made by PM Mark Carney regarding a coalition of “middle powers.” Jaishankar suggested this was “new ground” for Canada as a treaty ally, but welcomed the “agenda-based coming together” of like-minded nations to address global imbalances.
Bilateral Comparison: 2024 vs. 2026
| Metric | 2024 (Tension Era) | 2026 (Recovery Era) |
| Primary Contact | Consular/Low-level | Ministerial/NSA-level |
| Trade Status | Stalled (EPTA) | CEPA Negotiations Active |
| Key Focus | Diplomatic expulsions | AI, Critical Minerals, & Cybersecurity |
| Canadian Leadership | Justin Trudeau | Mark Carney |
“The relationship is back on track; we are destined to work together,” stated the Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, ahead of the Munich meeting.
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