The US embassy denies that the India-Canada dispute will harm relations between the two countries.
The US denied a media report that Ambassador Eric Garcetti warned his team on the possibility that India-US relations will deteriorate due to a diplomatic row with Canada, stating the envoy is focused on extending the multifaceted alliance with New Delhi.
According to National Security Daily, a Politico newsletter, unnamed US state department officials said that India-US relations could “become more fraught in the near term” as a result of the controversy sparked by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s claim that Indian government agents were involved in the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
“The US embassy rejects these reports.” “Every day, Ambassador Garcetti works hard to strengthen the partnership between the people and governments of the United States and India,” a US embassy official said.
“As his personal engagement and public schedule demonstrates, Ambassador Garcetti and the US mission to India are working every day to advance the important, strategic and consequential partnership we have with India,” said a spokesperson.
According to the National Security Daily story, some members of the Joe Biden administration “believe its relationship with [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi could become more fraught in the near term.”
According to the story, Garcetti “told his in-country team that, because of the diplomatic spat with Canada, relations between India and the US could get worse for a time” . Garcetti also stated that “the US may need to reduce its contacts with Indian officials for an undetermined period of time,” according to the newspaper.
India has previously denied Trudeau’s allegation as “absurd,” and both India and Canada have expelled top ambassadors in retaliation. The Indian side has stated that it is open to any information offered by Canada on the subject.
The disagreement has strained relations between India and Canada, and New Delhi has issued a warning advising its people traveling to Canada to exercise “utmost caution” due to “growing anti-India activities and politically-condoned hate crimes.” The Indian side has also requested that Canada withdraw several hundred ambassadors in order to establish mutual diplomatic presence balance.
Canada’s Western allies, especially the United States, have attempted to strike a balance between the problem of Nijjar’s murder and the need to enhance ties with India, which they see as an important counterweight to China. The United States has publicly encouraged India to participate in the probe into the killing, but authorities have declined to say further.
