Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Canada had recalled most of its diplomatic presence in India after New Delhi threatened to strip diplomatic immunity from those people and their families.
New Delhi threatened to remove immunities on Friday, she explained, so Canada recalled 41 diplomats and their 42 dependents, leaving only 21 diplomats in the country.
She considers that this threat is a violation of international law which exacerbates tensions between the two countries, and assures that Canada would not reciprocate, so as not to “aggravate the situation”.
According to Minister Joly, New Delhi’s action would have posed a danger for the diplomats if they had remained in place.
Mme Joly said Canada’s high commission in New Delhi remained operational, but Ottawa suspended in-person services at consulates in Chandigarh, Mumbai and Bangalore.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller said the reduction in numbers would hamper the issuance of visas and permits.
Relations with New Delhi have been deeply frozen since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a month ago that Canadian intelligence services were investigating “a possible link” between the Indian government and the assassination of a Sikh leader. near Vancouver.
Describing Ottawa’s accusations as “absurd”, the Indian government has since advised its nationals against traveling to certain Canadian regions and has “temporarily” stopped processing visa applications for India from Canadian nationals.
With Agence France-Presse