US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that it is important that India works with Canada on investigating the death of pro-Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, whom India has long designated a terrorist.
"We want to see accountability and it's important that the investigation run its course and lead to that result. We have been engaged directly with the Indian govt as well," Blinken told reporters, further adding that the US is deeply concerned about the allegations raised by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The investigation moving forward would be the most productive thing that can happen now, according to Blinken's statement.
"We would hope that our Indian friends would cooperate with that investigation as well. We are extremely vigilant about any instances of alleged transnational repression, something we take very seriously and it's important for the international system that any country that might consider engaging in such acts not do so. It's something that we're also focused on in a much broader way," the US Secretary of State said.
India-Canada relations have hit a new low after Canada expelled an Indian diplomat over allegations of India's involvement in the killing of Khalistan Tiger Force chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and India undertaking a similar move to expel a Canadian diplomat. India has also suspended visa services in Canada till further notice.
Bilateral trade between India and the US stood at $191 billion in 2022, nearly doubling from 2014.
In his recent visit to the US, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed India's interest towards being recognized as a Trade Agreements Act-designated country by the United States to further enhance the integration of both economies and to further promote trade and investment between two countries.
Indian commerce minister Piyush Goyal also confirmed that trade talks between both nations have been paused because of the increasing pro-Khalistani activities and Canada's sympathies with Khalistani activists.
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