NEW DELHI: Canada has recalled as many as 41 diplomats from India amid strained diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
This was confirmed by foreign minister of Canada Melanie Joly on Thursday (October 19).
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Joly said that many Canadian diplomats and their dependents in India have now left the country.
India asked Canada two weeks ago to withdraw dozens of its diplomatic staff and threatened to remove their immunity if they remained, BBC reported.
The Canadian foreign minister said India had said that immunity for “all but 21 diplomats” will be “unilaterally removed” by 20 October.
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India saying it would remove diplomatic immunity for Canadian envoys is a “violation of international law”, Joly said.
She added that Canada will not reciprocate.
“If we allow the norm of diplomatic immunity to be broken, no diplomats anywhere on the planet would be safe,” Joly said.
Ties between India and Canada reached an all-time low following a rift over killing of Sikh separatist leader – Hardeep Singh Nijjar.