The Hindu : Canada, India for closer ties

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 26, 2003

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Canada, India for closer ties

By Our Diplomatic Correspondent

The Prime Minister of Canada, Jean Chretien, at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Saturday. — PTI

NEW DELHI OCT. 25 . Canada has opened a Consulate-General in Chandigarh and plans to upgrade the Consulate in Mumbai to a Consulate-General and appoint a Trade Representative in Chennai. The two countries will also hold an annual dialogue at the level of Foreign Ministers.

A joint statement issued after Friday's official meetings between the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and his visiting Canadian counterpart, Jean Chretien, said:

"While building on their historic ties, it was agreed that future efforts need to take into account the significant economic, political, and social changes underway in both countries. The two countries will strengthen government, commercial and civil society linkages as they forge their new partnership. "India and Canada will deepen their engagement in order to achieve the common objective of strengthening international and regional peace and security. The two leaders expressed their national stands on nuclear disarmament.

"However, they underlined the urgent need to increase international cooperation to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery. The two countries agreed to enhance their strategic dialogue on all these issues."

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