Bagchi elaborated upon how the Ministry was engaged in diplomatic discourse with Ottawa over the course of the previous month
NEW DELHI: India slammed Canadian allegations of violating international diplomatic parity laws as the Ministry of External Affairs rejected their allegations of implementing parity as a violation of international norms.
Arindam Bagchi, the official spokesperson of the MEA, “The state of our bilateral relations, the much higher number of Canadian diplomats in India, and their continued interference in our internal affairs warrant a parity in mutual diplomatic presence in New Delhi and Ottawa. We reject any attempt to portray the implementation of parity as a violation of international norms.”
Bagchi elaborated upon how the Ministry was engaged in diplomatic discourse with Ottawa over the course of the previous month to work out the details of its implementation. The MEA explained that actions in implementing this parity are fully consistent with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
“As per Article 11.1 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations — in the absence of specific agreement as to the size of the mission, the receiving State may require that the size of a mission be kept within limits considered by it to be reasonable and normal, having regard to circumstances and conditions in the receiving State and to the needs of the particular mission,” the ministry proscribed.
FLASH: Amid #IndiaCanada diplomatic tensions, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said, “As of now, I can confirm that India has formally conveyed its plan to unethically remove diplomatic immunities for all but 21 Canadian diplomats and dependents in Delhi by October 20. This… pic.twitter.com/nY6xziQAcy
— The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) October 20, 2023
Earlier on Thursday, the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly had announced, “Canada confirms that India formally communicated its plan to remove immunities unilaterally for all but 21 Canadian diplomats and dependents in New Delhi by October 20, 2023. This means 41 Canadian diplomats and their 42 dependents were in danger of having immunities stripped.”
She also said, “Unfortunately, this mass expulsion will impact our operations, and client service will be affected. We will now be forced to pause temporarily all in-person services at Consulates, until further notice. India’s decision will impact levels of services to citizens of both countries. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will continue to accept and process applications from India. However, certain application requirements will need to be completed locally or on-site in a secure environment.” Joly added that India accounted for the most applying for permanent citizenship in the country.
Amidst a diplomatic row between India and Canada over the killing of pro-Khalistan extremist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, New Delhi had asked Ottawa to withdraw their Canadian diplomats from Indian soil. Joly also faced flak for evading a direct question on sharing of evidence with the Indian government on its alleged involvement in his assassination.
When asked Joly could not provide the specifics of the information shared by them with India.