Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar extended best wishes to his Canadian counterpart, Anita Anand, on being sworn in as the Foreign Minister. “Congratulate Anita Anand on your appointment as Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs,” he posted on X.
Indian-origin Canadian politician Anita Ananda has been sworn in as the country’s Foreign Minister after a major Cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Mark Carney, focussing on “mandate for change.”
Taking to X, Anand posted, “I am honoured to be named Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. I look forward to working with Prime Minister Mark Carney and our team to build a safer, fairer world and deliver for Canadians.”
One of Anand’s missions will be to pilot the reset of the almost ruptured ties with India that Carney signalled, while managing the delicate relations with President Donald Trump’s America. Announcing the new Cabinet of 28 ministers, Carney instructed them to “bring new ideas, a clear focus and decisive actions to their work.”
Carney also appointed Maninder Sidhu as the international trade minister, and two others of Indian descent as secretaries of state, the equivalent of ministers of state. Anand, who was the transport minister and had earlier held the Defence portfolio, said in January that she was leaving politics and returning to academia.
However, Carney persuaded her to return to the Cabinet and take the foreign affairs portfolio after she was re-elected in last month’s election. Carney, who inherited former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Cabinet, now has a chance to put his mark after having led the Liberal Party to victory, beating the odds in last month’s election.
Anand replaces Melanie Joly, who has been moved to the transport and internal trade ministry that she had held.
