Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau will be visiting India from February 17-23. He will be visiting Agra, Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi.

“The visit is aimed at further strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries in key areas of mutual interest including trade and investment, energy, science and innovation, higher education, infrastructure development, skill development and space. Cooperation in security and counter-terrorism as well as exchange of views on global and regional issues of mutual interest will also form important components of the visit,” said a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs on Monday.

Trudeau was expected to visit earlier following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit there in April 2015.

Groundwork for visit

However, several high-profile visits from Canada have paved the way for Trudeau’s visit. In the last 18 months, 11 Cabinet Ministers from Canada have visited India, including Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan and Minister for International Trade François-Philippe Champagne.

“India and Canada share a strategic partnership underpinned by the values of democracy, pluralism, equality for all and rule of law. Strong people-to-people contacts and the presence of a large Indian Diaspora in Canada provide a strong foundation for the relationship,” MEA said.

Trade ties

During the visit both countries are expected to give a major push to bilateral trade and economic ties.

There are strong prospects of both sides signing the long-pending Foreign Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement (FIPPA) during the visit, which is under negotiations since 2006.

In his last visit to India in November, International Trade Minister Champagne had told BusinessLine in an interview that the negotiations on the FIPPA are almost complete and it is ready to be signed. In 2016, two-way merchandise trade between Canada and India totalled $8 billion. Bilateral trade in services reached $2.1 billion in the same year. Canadian investment in India has increased by over $15 billion over the past three years mainly through institutional investors, and the number of Canadian companies active in India stands at over 1000.

“Canada greatly values its strong relationship with India. This visit reflects the high level of priority that Prime Minister Trudeau places on this strategic partnership,” said Nadir Patel, High Commissioner for Canada to India.

Trudeau will also be visiting important landmarks during his trip such as the Taj Mahal, Sri Harmandir Sahib (also known as the Golden Temple), the Jama Masjid, and Swaminarayan Akshardham.

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