Will Canada invite Modi to next G7 Summit amid diplomatic row? Trudeau dodges question, says...

CANADIAN Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked on Saturday if will invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 Summit next year. Trudeau seemingly dodged the question and said, "I appreciate the keenness with which the Canadians look forward to the next year's G7." 

"However, Italy continues to be the president of this G7 for the rest of this year and I look forward to working with Prime Minister Meloni and all my G7 partners on the broad range of issues we have talked about...," Trudeau told reporters at a press conference on Saturday.

Canada announced on Saturday that the next G7 Leaders’ Summit will be hosted in Canada — in Kananaskis, Alberta — in 2025.

Trudeau's statement came after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy on Friday. The meeting, which took place in Apulia, southern Italy, was the first amid strained diplomatic relations over pro-Khalistani extremism.

Last year, India and Canada engaged in a diplomatic row after Trudeau alleged "India link" to the alleged killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.

At the press conference on Saturday, Trudeau was asked about the diplomatic ties between India and Canada and cooperation over the row over the alleged killing of Nijjar.

Trudeau said that there was a commitment to work together with India to deal with some “very important issues”. He said, "I'm not going to get into the details of this important, sensitive issue that we need to follow up, but this was a commitment to work together, in the coming times, to deal with some very important issues."

The Canadian PM refused to share further details related to the alleged killing of Nijjar and said, "Like I said, I am not going to get into it further, but there are important issues that we need to work on, and we will."

When asked about his meeting with PM Modi at G7 Summit in Italy, Trudeau said, “There's a clear understanding that we need to continue to engage across and around the world with various partners, even as we highlight challenges and stand up to the rule of law and the principles that drive G7. We need to engage with a range of partners and that's exactly what we did in the outreach session yesterday.”

Trudeau was speaking to reporters at a press conference in Savelletri Di Fasano in Italy on Saturday, the concluding day of the three-day G7 Summit.

On Friday, Modi posted a picture on social media, wherein he could be seen shaking hands with the Canadian PM. He shared the image with a one-liner caption: “Met Canadian PM Justin Trudeau at the G7 Summit”.

Soon after the meeting on Friday evening, the Canadian Prime Minister's Office said the leaders had a "brief discussion on the bilateral relationship", during which Trudeau also congratulated Modi on his re-election.

Trudeau alleged that Canadian authorities are “actively pursuing credible allegations" related to Indian government involvement in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist.