(New York) The head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken on Friday called on India “to cooperate” with Canada after Ottawa suggested the involvement of New Delhi in the assassination of a Sikh leader in Canada.
“From our perspective, it is crucial that the Canadian investigation continues,” said Mr. Blinken, when asked about this during a press conference in New York.
“And it would be important for India to collaborate with Canadians in this investigation,” he added.
He stressed that the United States was in contact with Indian authorities and that Washington wanted the investigation to succeed and allow justice to be done and responsibilities established.
“We are extremely vigilant whenever there are allegations of transnational repression, it is something that we take very, very seriously,” he said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sparked a major diplomatic crisis by suggesting that Indian authorities were involved in the assassination last June outside his temple in western Canada of a Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, also a Canadian citizen .
PHOTO CHRIS HELGREN, REUTERS ARCHIVES
Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was assassinated in Surrey, British Columbia, last June.
The crisis was marked by mutual expulsions of diplomats.
The matter is delicate for the United States, a neighboring country and historic ally of Canada, but which has undertaken, under the leadership of President Joe Biden, to forcefully move closer to the Indian government led by Narendra Modi.
The White House was quick on Thursday to deny any “discord” between the United States and Canada over India, in reaction to press reports.
THE Washington Post affirmed, in an article which was subsequently corrected, that Canada had unsuccessfully asked its allies, and in particular the United States, to publicly condemn the assassination of the Sikh leader, pointing out the responsibility of New Delhi.