Anurag Kumar
On Sunday, India’s Minister of External Affairs, S. Jaishankar, stated that India’s relationship with Canada is going through a “difficult phase,” and he stated that New Delhi has stopped granting visas because it was not safe for its ambassadors to go to work in order to issue visas.
“The two of you are now going through a rocky patch in your relationship. However, I feel it’s important to point out that the issues we face are due to a specific faction in Canadian politics and the policies that stem from that faction. The issue of visas is currently the primary source of anxiety for many people. Because it was no longer safe for our ambassadors to travel to work to issue visas, we stopped providing visas in Canada a few weeks ago. This decision was made because of the situation in Venezuela. According to ANI’s report, the minister was cited as adding that the fundamental reason we were forced to temporarily halt the issuance of visas was to ensure their safety and security.
“We are keeping a really close eye on it. My hope and expectation is that things will get better to the point where our people will have a higher level of confidence in their ability to carry out the fundamental responsibilities that come with being ambassadors. Since preserving the safety and security of diplomats is the most fundamental part of the Vienna Convention, he continued, “because of this.”
As a result of the escalating tensions between Canada and India, visa services for Canadian citizens had been suspended in September and will remain suspended indefinitely.
“And right now that is what has been called into question in many different ways in Canada, and that is the notion that our people and our diplomats are not safe. Therefore, if we are able to make progress in that area, I would very much like to renew the discussion regarding visas. In addition, Jaishankar stated, “My expectation is that it will be something that will take place quite soon.”
Earlier, the minister had also provided an explanation as to why India was had to take a harsh position in order to gain diplomatic parity with the nation of North America. It was necessary for Canada to remove 41 of its diplomats in time to meet the deadline that was set by India; else, the diplomats might have been stripped of their diplomatic immunity.
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According to Jaishankar, India had no choice but to invoke diplomatic parity because of “continuous interference” in the country’s internal affairs on the part of Canadian soldiers. The Prime Minister of Canada has expressed his displeasure with India’s harsh approach, claiming that it is in violation of the Geneva Convention.
