New Delhi, March 14 (IANS) India and Canada held Foreign Office Consultations in Delhi on Monday to discuss progress in a wide range of bilateral matters.
The Indian delegation was led by Ministry of External Affairs's Secretary, East, Saurabh Kumar, while the Canadian delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Foreign and Global Affairs Marta Morgan. The last FOCs were held in March 2021 in a virtual mode.
"The discussions were cordial and friendly. Both sides reviewed the progress of bilateral cooperation in domains such as political, security, trade and investment, education, science and technology, consular and mobility. They agreed that the two countries should continue work to renew the momentum in relations and convene meetings of bilateral dialogues and working groups," the MEA said in a statement.
The FOCs also provided a timely opportunity to exchange assessment on regional, multilateral and global issues of mutual interest.
Both sides agreed to continue their productive consultations, and the next round will be held in Ottawa at convenient dates.
Rejecting all opposition to his elevation, Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi appointed Navjot Singh Sidhu as the party's new Punjab unit President along with four Working Presidents.
Calling the reports of alleged snooping on prominent citizens using Israeli Pegasus spyware as "baseless", the ruling BJP on Monday said there is not a single shred of evidence so far that links either the central government or the party to this controversy.
Congress MPs from both Houses had met on Sunday afternoon at Rajya Sabha member Pratap Singh Bajwa's residence to discuss the issues related to Punjab and sought an appointment with Gandhi.
Apart from reviewing the security arrangements in the national capital, the Delhi Police have also strengthened the security in and around the Red Fort ahead of the Independence Day.
Police said acting on a specific information, Budgam Police along with the Army's 53 RR and 43 BN of the CRPF arrested one local terrorist linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT and recovered incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including one Chinese pistol, one magazine, eight live pistol rounds from his possession.
As the Pegasus spyware scandal unravelled within and outside Parliament, he termed it a "shocking assault" on India's democratic polity by the Union government, which had compromised the national security with "this blatantly disgraceful act".
