PM Modi assures Canada's Trudeau of COVID vaccine supplies

During a conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, PM Narendra Modi assured him of coronavirus vaccine supplies. India has already sent vaccines to around 20 countries. It has got requests from developing as well as developed nations.

A readout from Indian PM's office said during the talks Prime Minister Trudeau informed PM Modi about "Canada's requirements of COVID-19 vaccines from India" to which the latter "assured...that India would do its best to support Canada's vaccination efforts, just as it had done for many other countries already"

The readout said Canadian leader lauded New Delhi saying, "if the world managed to conquer COVID-19, it would be significantly because of India's tremendous pharmaceutical capacity" and "Prime Minister Modi's leadership in sharing this capacity with the world."

The vaccines will be supplied commercially from India to Canada. India has already supplied vaccines on a commercial basis to countries like Brazil, Morrocco, South Africa. 

During the talks, India and Canada discussed issues such as the economic impact of the pandemic, climate change.

The talks assume significance since ties between the two countries were impacted in December after Canadian PM commented on the farmer protests in India. 

Back then, an angry New Delhi had summoned the Canadian envoy to Delhi Nadir Patel and handed over a strong demarche. In fact, the matter was taken up with Canadian authorities both in Ottawa and New Delhi and conveyed that such comments pertaining to the internal affairs of India are "unwarranted and unacceptable".