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.
According to Swaminathan, B.1.617 variant of Covid-19, which was first detected in India last Fall, was a contributing factor in the COVID explosion that India is witnessing right now.
He said that the "endgame" in fighting the pandemic is vaccinating everyone. At the same time, he said that all of India should "shut down", as some states have done.
There is desparate struggle for oxygen and there is a major shortage of hospital beds. Crematoriums and morgues are packed and can't keep up with the constant flow of corpses coming in.
Social media is flooded with desparate pleas from people for oxygen for their loved ones while others have no option but to circle hospitals in the capital Delhi while begging for a bed.
