Indian Foreign Service officer Dinesh K. Patnaik, presently Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain, has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to Canada.
Patnaik, a 1990-batch IFS officer, is expected to take up the assignment shortly.a
Dinesh K. Patnaik has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to Canada, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
Meanwhile, Canada also appointed a new ambassador to India, a major step in the easing of tensions that erupted after officials accused the Indian government of involvement in murders and extortions on Canadian soil.
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announced that Christopher Cooter will become Canada’s High Commissioner in New Delhi.
The position was vacant since last October, when both nations kicked out each others’ top diplomats.
The announcements come after an agreement between Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the Group of Seven Summit in June to appoint new top envoys in their embassies.
“The appointment of a new high commissioner reflects Canada’s step-by-step approach to deepening diplomatic engagement and advancing bilateral cooperation with India,” Anand said in a statement.
“This appointment is an important development toward restoring services for Canadians while strengthening the bilateral relationship to support Canada’s economy,” she added.
Cooter has 35 years of diplomatic experience, having served most recently as Canada’s top envoy in Israel and South Africa. He also previously worked as a diplomat in New Delhi from 1998 to 2000, the Canadian government said.
The development comes at a moment of increasing strain between the two countries and US President Donald Trump imposing a 50% tariff on Indian goods to put pressure on the country to stop buying Russian crude oil.
Trump also increased the tariff rate on some Canadian shipments to 35% on August 1 as part of his campaign to curb trade flows.