Diplomacy

A major highlight of the visit was the discussion around CEPA, which Canada’s Prime Minister described as a potential “game changer” for opening a large new market. Both sides have reaffirmed their intention to work towards a balanced, commercially meaningful and ambitious agreement that benefits businesses, investors and citizens in both countries. The target is to conclude a mutually beneficial agreement by the end of 2026.

The need for such a system has become sharper because of the rise of “dark ships” — vessels that switch off tracking systems, hide their identity or operate in ways that make monitoring difficult. These ships can be linked to illegal fishing, smuggling, sanctions evasion, grey-zone maritime activity or other unlawful operations. MEA officials have pointed to growing congestion in international waterways and the movement of such vessels as a reason for improving surveillance capability across the region.

The meeting comes at a time when India and Australia are steadily moving beyond traditional diplomacy into a deeper strategic relationship shaped by maritime security, economic cooperation and shared concerns in the Indo-Pacific. Both countries have increasingly recognised that the stability of the region depends on trusted partnerships, secure sea lanes, reliable trade networks and technological cooperation among like-minded democracies.

The timing gives the meeting added diplomatic weight. India is hosting the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on 26 May 2026, with Jaishankar chairing discussions involving Australia’s Penny Wong, Japan’s Toshimitsu Motegi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The agenda is expected to focus on advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific, reviewing Quad cooperation and discussing regional and global developments.

The meeting is being held at India’s invitation and will continue the discussions held by Quad ministers in Washington, D.C. on 1 July 2025. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the ministers will exchange views on advancing Quad cooperation, review progress on ongoing initiatives, and discuss recent developments in the Indo-Pacific and other international issues of mutual concern.

According to the report, Jaishankar and Yermekbayev discussed the SCO’s initiatives and activities as well as key regional and global issues. The wording is brief, but the context is important. The SCO has become one of the central multilateral platforms connecting South Asia, Central Asia, Russia, China and the wider Eurasian region. For India, such engagement matters because Central Asia remains important for energy security, trade routes, counter-terrorism cooperation and long-term connectivity planning.

The visit comes at a sensitive but promising moment. India and Canada have gone through a difficult diplomatic phase in recent years, and trade negotiations had slowed during that period. The renewed CEPA push indicates that both sides are now trying to rebuild economic confidence through structured engagement, sectoral cooperation and high-level political signalling. Reuters reported that Goyal will lead a delegation of about 150 Indian industry leaders and hold meetings with Canadian ministers, business leaders and industry groups in Ottawa and Toronto.