US tries to stay out of Canada-India scandal
How is the conflict developing? The Trudeau government cannot count on its neighbor's support, and Indian citizens are still welcome in Canada.
The Biden administration is in no hurry to support its northern neighbor in the conflict with India. U.S. representatives continue to be extremely cautious about this, and experts believe that this will continue to be the case. They attribute this to the specific foreign policy of the US. Allegedly, the authorities do not want to spoil their relations with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in order not to lose trade and diplomatic allies in the Indo-Pacific region. This strategy is chosen by the U.S. government as a way to counter China's rise.
Relations between Canada and India were sharply strained on September 18, when Justin Trudeau said there was "credible" evidence that Indian authorities were involved in the murder of Sikh separatist and Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar. It happened in June 2023 in the Vancouver suburb of British Columbia.
After such serious allegations, an Indian intelligence officer was expelled from the country. The Indian Foreign Ministry indignantly rejected even the hypothetical possibility of Indian involvement in Nijjar's murder and suspended the issuance of visas to Canadian citizens. The authorities also asked Canada to reduce its diplomatic presence in the country.
On Thursday, September 21, Indian visa centers in Canada did stop services citing operational reasons. Journalists recorded a halt in visa issuance in Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver. Meanwhile, Trudeau, when asked directly whether Canada would respond with symmetrical measures, confidently stated that it would not. By the evening of September 23, Canada was indeed still accepting new applications as usual. Visa processing times for Indian nationals wishing to come to Canada remain the same as always.
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