Overview

• India appointed Dinesh K. Patnaik, a 1990-batch IFS officer currently serving as ambassador to Spain, as its next high commissioner to Canada, with the MEA saying he will take up the post shortly.
• Canada named veteran diplomat Christopher Cooter as high commissioner to India, with Foreign Minister Anita Anand calling it a step toward restoring services for citizens and businesses.
• The top posts had been vacant for roughly 10 months after New Delhi withdrew its envoy and both sides expelled diplomats following tensions linked to the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, an allegation India denies.
• Both governments describe the move as part of a step-by-step normalization intended to reopen consular channels, facilitate commerce, and create conditions to resume stalled discussions, including on trade.
• The appointments come after working-level contacts resumed following the Modi–Carney meeting at the G7, even as core disputes and security concerns tied to diaspora extremism and criminal networks remain unresolved.