On Wednesday, September 27, 2023, the U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the recent meeting between India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, which took place last week, did not address the diplomatic dispute between India and Canada concerning the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
S Jaishankar and Antony Blinken convened in New York during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session on Friday, September 22. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa were also present at the Quad meeting.
When questioned about the discussions between Jaishankar and Blinken, Miller said, “That was not a bilateral meeting. It was a meeting of a number of countries. The issue (India-Canada tensions) did not come up.” Reaffirming the US stance on Canada’s claims, Miller urged India to provide complete cooperation in the Canadian investigation.
He said, “We have engaged with our Indian counterparts on this and encouraged them to cooperate with the Canadian investigation and we continue to encourage them to cooperate.”
On Tuesday, S. Jaishankar emphasised the “very compelling need” for India and the United States to collaborate, underlining the value of Washington having allies who hold a positive view of America and express their support for it.
Earlier this week, Miller underscored the significance of conducting a comprehensive investigation into the allegations made by Canada. He said, “We are deeply concerned by the allegations referenced by (Canadian) Prime Minister (Justin) Trudeau. We remain in close contact with our Canadian partners.”
The diplomatic situation between India and Canada
On 19th September, Canada’s PM Trudeau accused India of killing Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. Canada expelled a senior Indian diplomat as a result of the allegations. The allegations against India opened a can of worms as the allied countries of Canada refused to issue a joint statement against India. Furthermore, India denied the allegations and expelled a Canadian diplomat in retaliation.
India has also stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens following the allegations and trade talks between India and Canada have halted after the allegations. It has been recently revealed by the Indian authorities that India has shared credible evidence with Canada about wanted criminals and terrorists living on its soil. India has repeatedly raised the issue of increasing Khalistani activities in Canada that were completely ignored. Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun was seen in Canada giving speeches at the so-called referendum for Khalistan while Trudeau was attending G20 Summit in India.
