New Delhi: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised his concerns about India’s alleged role in the killing of a Canadian national with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohamed Bin Zayed in a phone conversation related to the aftermath of the sudden escalation in violence between Israel and Hamas.
There has been a flurry of phone calls between world capitals as they seek to address the consequences of the Hamas attack and the Israeli reaction, which have left nearly 1,000 people dead.
The UAE, which had normalised ties with Israel through the Abraham Accords, has also been part of this stream of phone conversations.
The UAE foreign ministry stated that Zayed held phone conversations with the king of Jordan, the presidents of Egypt, Syria and Israel, and the prime minister of Canada on the latest Israel-Palestinian violence on Sunday (October 8).
A UAE readout mentioned the need to “de-escalate” and exercise maximum restraint so that the region does not enter a new crisis.
A Canadian readout also said that the two leaders spoke about Hamas’ attack on Israel. It added another detail, which was not mentioned by the UAE, saying that Trudeau “provided an update on the situation between Canada and India”.
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Trudeau’s tweet elaborated that on India, the two leaders spoke of “the importance of upholding – and respecting – the rule of law”.
The Canadian PM also had a phone conversation with Jordanian King Abdullah, but there was no indication that the dispute with India was raised as per his public tweet.
But, the Canadian readout did note that “Prime Minister Trudeau provided an update on the situation between Canada and India, underscoring the importance of respecting the rule of law and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations”.
Last month, Canada made an explosive allegation that the Indian government was involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian national who had been charged as a pro-Khalistan terrorist by New Delhi.
India angrily dismissed the allegations as “biased” and “motivated”, accusing Canada of not taking its concerns about the activities of pro-Khalistan groups seriously.
Ottawa had expelled an Indian diplomat posted at the embassy, which led India to take a tit-for-tat measure.
India also stopped all visa services for Canadian nationals and asked Canada to downsize its diplomatic presence in New Delhi.
When he made the allegation, Trudeau said that he had already spoken with US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron before going public.
He also discussed India with Sunak on October 6. “The leaders emphasized respect for the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the need to ensure the safety and security of their citizens. They underscored the importance of de-escalation in this context,” said a Canadian statement.
The UK foreign office statement also noted that Sunak “reaffirmed the UK’s position that all countries should respect sovereignty and the rule of law, including the principles of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations”.
The “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance, comprising Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the US, provided evidence supporting the allegation of Indian involvement in Nijjar’s murder.
It will certainly raise eyebrows in New Delhi that the Canadian PM had chosen his UAE counterpart to raise India in a bilateral conversation outside the Western bloc.
The UAE is one of India’s closest strategic partners in West Asia. The two countries signed a free trade agreement in 2022.
In March 2018, India reportedly helped the ruler of Dubai in capturing and sending back his daughter Sheikha Latifa from a boat on the high seas, an act which would be in contravention of international law.