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.
Hockey is one of the most popular sports in Punjab and many players from the state have been integral parts of the national team. The 117-member Punjab Assembly will go to the polls on February 14, while the counting of votes will be taken up on March 10.
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Registrar General of Punjab and Haryana High Court to secure and preserve all records in connection with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Punjab, and also asked the state and Central committees to refrain from conducting inquiries till Monday, when it will take up the matter again.
India on Friday revised the existing guidelines for all international arrivals in India in view of the rising Covid cases and the Omicron threat, to make seven days home quarantine mandatory. The new guidelines will be effective from January 11 till further notice.
On Wednesday, the Prime Minister's rally in Ferozepur had to be cancelled due to a security lapse after some protesters blocked a route and forced his convoy to spend about 20 minutes on a flyover. The Prime Minister was enroute the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala when the incident happened.
On Thursday, senior BJP leaders including chief ministers of the party ruled states offered prayers at temples across the country for the well-being and long life of Prime Minister Modi after his security was breached in Punjab on January 5.
Most of these farmers had earlier stated that they were present at the spot but were not involved in the attack. They were, at that time, charged under bailable sections such as 'rioting' and 'voluntarily causing hurt' and were let off by the SIT officials under Section 41 of the CrPC.
