Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly on 2-day visit to India, to hold talks with Jaishankar. What's on the agenda?

Canadian Foreign Minister will begin a two-day visit to India on Monday. She is slated to hold wide-ranging talks with her Indian counterpart S Jaishankar as the two nations look to deepen bilateral ties. Joly will also engage with key stakeholders in India's business and civil society communities regarding Canada's robust agenda with India under the Indo-Pacific Strategy.

According to an official communique from the Canadian government, Joly will work with Jaishankar to identify areas where the interests of both countries converge and where they could further collaborate on global and regional issues.

“Simply put: there is an increasing demand in India for what we make and grow here in Canada. I look forward to my first official visit to India to strengthen our engagement and ensure Canadians can tap into all the opportunities the Indo-Pacific has to offer,” she had tweeted.

Over the weekend, she had met with India's High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma in Ottawa.

As Joly lands in India, there is some expectation that the trip will help re-set Indo-Canadian bilaterial ties. As per an official release, the FM will 'build on the two countries' shared tradition of democracy and pluralism, a common commitment to a rules-based international system and multilateralism, and mutual interest in expanding our commercial relationship and strengthening our extensive and growing people-to-people connections'.

Against the backdrop of growing global concern over China's increasing military muscle-flexing in the region, Canada's Indo-Pacific strategy also listed India as a key player in the region. Ottawa said that it would focus on expanding economic engagement with New Delhi, including through deeper trade and investment as well as cooperating on building resilient supply chains.

(With inputs from agencies)