India and Canada on Tuesday agreed to begin negotiations on a General Security of Information Agreement (GSOIA), indicating a high level of strategic trust between the two nations that had been at loggerheads and had even pulled out their respective high commissioners over a year-and-a-half ago.

A decision on the GSOIA was taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Premier Mark Carney during their pull-aside meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Paris. According to a joint media statement on their discussion, “to further deepen defence and security cooperation, the Prime Ministers agreed to launch negotiations on a... GSOIA”.

A backgrounder note on the GSOIA of the Canadian government said it establishes a mutual understanding of how the government’s sensitive information must be handled and protected with foreign partners. It supports defence procurement and operational requirements by setting out the mutual rights and obligations between two parties with respect to protecting classified information and assets when in foreign custody.

Modi said on X: “It was a delight to meet Prime Minister Carney on the sidelines of the Evian G7 Summit. In less than a year, it is our fourth meeting, indicating our commitment to strong India-Canada ties. We reviewed the full range of relations between our nations, notably the ground covered since we last met.”