New Delhi: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was scheduled to depart on Sunday night after attending the G20 Leaders’ Summit, is still stuck in the Indian Capital.
It has not been a memorable trip for Trudeau.
Having faced strong criticism from Indian PM Narendra Modi for Canada not being able to prevent Sikh secessionist groups from carrying out anti-India activities in his country, Trudeau came to know that his return trip would be delayed because of technical issues with his aircraft.
“Upon our departure for the airport, we were made aware by the Canadian Armed Forces that CFC001 was experiencing technical issues. These issues are not fixable overnight, our delegation will be staying in India until alternate arrangements are made,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s office said, referring to the plane.
Neither the nature of the aircraft’s issues nor replacement arrangement was mentioned.
Trudeau’s delegation includes government staff and journalists who travelled with him for the summit and landed at Delhi’s Palam Airport on the evening of September 8.
Earlier yesterday, Modi conveyed strong concerns about continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada, India’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement after a talk between the two leaders on the sidelines of G20 summit.
“The nexus of such forces with organized crime, drug syndicates and human trafficking should be a concern for Canada as well. It is essential for the two countries to cooperate in dealing with such threats,” the ministry said.
Relations between India and Canada have been tense, and Modi did not hold a formal bilateral meeting with Trudeau.
