India named senior diplomat Dinesh K Patnaik as its next high commissioner to Canada on Thursday, a move that comes alongside Ottawa’s decision to send veteran envoy Christopher Cooter to New Delhi.
Patnaik, a 1990-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service, is currently serving as ambassador to Spain. The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that he would assume charge in Ottawa “shortly.”
The parallel appointments note an effort by both countries to move beyond a turbulent phase in their relationship over the last few years. Diplomatic ties between India and Canada had collapsed in 2023 after the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.
Then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had alleged Indian involvement in the incident, an accusation New Delhi strongly denied. The fallout saw tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats and India withdrawing its high commissioner from Ottawa.
The political landscape shifted earlier this year after Liberal leader Mark Carney replaced Trudeau as prime minister.
In their first meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Kananaskis on June 17, Carney and Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to take “constructive” steps to restore stability in ties, including reinstating top-level envoys.
With Patnaik and Cooter now designated to take charge, the appointments mark the first substantive sign of momentum in repairing a relationship once seen as among the most strained in India’s recent diplomatic history.
Patnaik, a 1990-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service, is currently serving as ambassador to Spain. The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that he would assume charge in Ottawa “shortly.”
The parallel appointments note an effort by both countries to move beyond a turbulent phase in their relationship over the last few years. Diplomatic ties between India and Canada had collapsed in 2023 after the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.
Then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had alleged Indian involvement in the incident, an accusation New Delhi strongly denied. The fallout saw tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats and India withdrawing its high commissioner from Ottawa.
The political landscape shifted earlier this year after Liberal leader Mark Carney replaced Trudeau as prime minister.
In their first meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Kananaskis on June 17, Carney and Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to take “constructive” steps to restore stability in ties, including reinstating top-level envoys.
With Patnaik and Cooter now designated to take charge, the appointments mark the first substantive sign of momentum in repairing a relationship once seen as among the most strained in India’s recent diplomatic history.
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