EAM Jaishankar to skip Canada-led COVID meet after Trudeau's remarks on farmers' protest

In what seems to be a direct fall out of remarks by Canadian Prime minister Justin Trudeau, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will not attend Canada headed Covid foreign ministers grouping meeting.

The meeting takes place next week, and ahead of that, Canada was told that India will not attend the meet.

India's External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar attended the 11th Ministerial Coordination Group on COVID-19 in November. That was the first time India officially took part in the meet.

A release from the Canadian foreign ministry that time said, "Minister Champagne (Canadian Foreign minister) welcomed Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar of India to the group, noting the recent developments in India and emphasising the critical role India plays in addressing global COVID-19 vaccine and pharmaceutical needs."

Other members of the grouping include Brazil, France, Germany, India, Italy, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

Last week, the Canadian PM made remarks on ongoing farmer protests in India, irking New Delhi. In a strong reaction to what India called "ill-informed" and "unwarranted" remarks, MEA summoned the Canadian envoy Nadir Patel and told him "such actions, if continued, would have a seriously damaging impact on ties between India and Canada."