NEW DELHI, 19 January 2005 — Describing his Canadian counterpart Paul Martin as an “old friend” and “a valued colleague,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said yesterday that during their meeting they reviewed bilateral ties and discussed important international issues.
“Prime Minster Martin extended his condolences at the losses we have suffered on account of the tsunami and I deeply appreciate his sympathy and solidarity. We discussed how the world can cope better with such disasters and have agreed to work together along with others in developing an international tsunami warning system,” Manmohan said while addressing a joint press conference.
During their discussions, the two premiers reviewed Indo-Canadian relations with focus on the need to strengthen it and address global challenges more effectively.
“Our talks focused on the core elements of our bilateral ties: Trade and investment, science and technology and cooperation in environment and health. We have identified some specific measures in these fields that I hope would lead to new initiatives,” Manmohan said. Martin congratulated the Indian government and the defense forces for the quick work done by them in the aftermath of the tsunami tragedy not only in India but also in Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
Drawing attention to Canada having offered assistance to all tsunami-affected nations, Martin said that India had been able to deal with the situation on its own and also help neighboring countries.
The prime ministers also discussed the international situation. Manmohan said: “Prime Minister Martin and I also discussed the international situation, including Afghanistan, Iraq and South East Asia. I informed him of political developments in our region and expressed the hope that we were heading for better times.”
Referring to his plan to visit Canada, Manmohan said: “Prime Minister Martin was kind enough to invite me to visit Canada and I have accepted the invitation with pleasure.”
Later a joint statement said Manmohan welcomed Martin’s initiative “for a meeting of G-20 leaders to discuss issues of global concern, such as terrorism, development and global public health.”
The premiers agreed to enhance the architecture of India-Canada partnership in areas including science and technology, environment and people to people link.
