EAM S Jaishankar to skip Canada-led COVID meet after Justin Trudeau's remarks on farmers' protest

Canadian PM had recently made remarks on the ongoing farmers' protests in India, irking New Delhi.

New Delhi: In what seems to be a direct fall out of remarks by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will not attend Canada headed COVID-19 foreign ministers grouping meeting.

Canada was told that India will not attend the meet that is scheduled to take place next week.

India's external affairs minister S Jaishankar attended the 11th Ministerial Coordination Group on COVID-19 in November which was the first time India officially took part in the meet.

A release from Canadian foreign ministry that time said, "Minister Champagne (Canadian Foreign minister) welcomed Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar of India to the group, noting the recent developments in India and emphasizing the critical role India plays in addressing global COVID-19 vaccine and pharmaceutical needs."

Other members of the grouping include Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

Last week, Canadian PM made remarks on the ongoing farmers' protests in India, irking New Delhi. 

In a strong reaction to what India called 'ill-informed' and 'unwarranted' remarks, ministry of external affairs summoned the Canadian envoy Nadir Patel and told him that "such actions, if continued, would have a seriously damaging impact on ties between India and Canada".