On the margins of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his newly installed Canadian counterpart Mark Carney committed to launching negotiations on a General Security of Information Agreement, a pact designed to facilitate the exchange of classified defence and security intelligence. The move, announced after their fourth meeting in under a year, signals a concerted effort to rebuild trust between Ottawa and New Delhi following a deep freeze in ties triggered by Canada’s accusations of Indian involvement in transnational repression on its soil. Carney also extended an invitation for Modi to visit Canada later this year, a gesture that would have been unthinkable just months ago. Viewed from Ottawa, the omission of any reference to foreign interference in the official readout suggests a deliberate pivot towards pragmatic cooperation, even as underlying tensions remain unresolved.

Beyond the security dialogue, the two leaders set their sights on concluding a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement by 2026, a long-stalled ambition that has gained fresh momentum. Trade, energy, innovation, education and talent mobility were all on the agenda, reflecting a shared desire to broaden a commercial relationship that has often underperformed its potential. From New Delhi’s perspective, the meeting underscored India’s growing comfort in compartmentalising strategic irritants — such as the Nijjar affair — to pursue economic and technological gains. The encounter with Carney was one of several bilaterals Modi conducted on the summit’s sidelines, including talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that reviewed progress across trade, investment, defence and technology cooperation.

The summit also provided the stage for a closely watched, if brief, reunion between Modi and US President Donald Trump. The two leaders exchanged a handshake and warm words in their first face-to-face interaction in 16 months, with Trump patting Modi on the arm as they took their seats next to each other during the plenary session. While the exchange was informal, it set the tone for a scheduled bilateral meeting expected to address trade frictions, defence collaboration and the ambitious US-India COMPACT initiative launched during Modi’s Washington visit in February 2025, which targets $500 billion in bilateral trade by 2030. Viewed from Washington, the encounter offered a visual reset after a period of drift in the relationship, though officials cautioned that substantive progress on tariff disputes and technology sharing would be the true measure of success.

India’s presence at the G7 — its thirteenth invitation and eighth consecutive — reflects its growing weight as a swing player in global governance, particularly on issues of climate, supply-chain resilience and Indo-Pacific security. Analysts in London note that Modi’s ability to hold constructive talks with both Carney and Starmer, while maintaining a working rapport with Trump, illustrates the breadth of India’s diplomatic balancing act at a time of heightened Western anxieties over China. The invitation to Carney to visit India, coupled with the accelerated trade timeline, suggests that both Ottawa and New Delhi are betting that economic interdependence can serve as a bulwark against future political shocks, even as the unresolved shadow of 2023 lingers.