Munich, Feb 17 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that he discussed the "present state" of bilateral ties and the current global issues with his Canadian counterpart Melanie Joly, amidst a diplomatic row between the two countries over the killing of a Sikh separatist in Canada.

The two leaders met on Friday on the sidelines of the prestigious Munich Security Conference here in Germany.

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The meeting comes amid bitterness in bilateral ties over the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil last year.

"Met my Canadian counterpart FM @melaniejoly on the sidelines of #MSC2024. Our conversation understandably focused on the present state of our bilateral ties. Was also useful to exchange views on the global situation," Jaishankar posted on X.

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Joly also posted about her meeting with Jaishankar on X.

"At #MSC2024, @DrSJaishankar and I had a frank discussion on Canada-India relations and the current global issues, including Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine," she wrote.

The ties between India and Canada came under strain following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations on September 18 of the "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia province. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.

India has rejected the Canadian government's charges as "absurd and motivated."

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)