India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Sunday accused Canadian diplomats of interfering in the country’s internal matters.
He also rejected the claims that India had violated the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations with Canada.
“Parity is very much provided for by the Vienna Convention, which is the relevant international rule on this. In our case, we invoked parity because we had concerns about continuous interference in our affairs by Canadian personnel”, Jaishankar said during his address at the Kautilya Economic Conclave.
The comments by the foreign minister came days after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that a crackdown on Canadian diplomats by the Indian government was making normal life difficult for people in both the countries.
Notably, Canada withdrew 41 diplomats from India on Friday, 20 October, fearing that their diplomatic immunity would be stripped.
Followed by the withdrawal of the diplomats, India temporarily stopped walk-in services at Canada's consulates in Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chandigarh, affecting Canadian visa facilities for Indians.
On resuming visa services, Jaishankar said that it would be resumed if the “working condition for Indian diplomats improves in Canada”.
While talking about the tense diplomatic relations with Canada, the minister said that relations between the countries are going through a “difficult phase”, as India has “problems with [a] certain segment of Canadian politics”.