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[[Since Canada’s claim that agents of the Indian government played a role in the killing of a Sikh leader on Canadian soil, the diplomatic relationship between the two countries has grown tense. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias looks at the role the United States might be playing amid this dispute between two allies.]]
Content TypePackage
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/ScriptCanada India US Tensions TVR))
HEADLINE: Amid Canada-India Rift, US Tight-lipped on Mediation Efforts
TEASER: US encourages Indian-Canadian collaboration to investigate killing of Sikh leader
PUBLISHED AT: 09/28/2023 at 7:45PM
BYLINE: Veronica Balderas Iglesias
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE:
VIDEOGRAPHER:
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: MAS, Holly Franko, DJ OK
VIDEO SOURCE (S): Skype, AFP, Reuters, AP
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:14
VID APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: TVR
EDITOR NOTES: ((Radio Tracks for Reversioning Included. Please trim State Dep. SOT according to script.))
((TV INTRO))
[[Since Canada’s claim that agents of the Indian government played a role in the killing of a Sikh leader on Canadian soil, the diplomatic relationship between the two countries has grown tense. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias looks at the role the United States might be playing amid this dispute between two allies.]]
((NARRATOR))
As the world watches, India’s and Canada’s rift over the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil continues to play out.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Thursday with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. So far, the U.S. has remained tight-lipped about whether it is playing a mediation role.
[[RADIO INTRO: State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller]]
((Matthew Miller, State Department Spokesperson))
“I'm not going to speak to what they say in private diplomatic conversations. I will speak to what I say or what we say. And that is we urge them to cooperate with the Canadian investigation.”
((NARRATOR))
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has claimed in front of the House of Commons and on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, that agents of the Indian government played a role in
the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, an outspoken advocate for an independent Sikh state in India who was gunned down in a Vancouver suburb in June.
While India’s government viewed Nijjar as a fugitive terrorist, it called Canada’s allegation – quote - “absurd.” But Jaishankar said India is willing to look at the evidence.
[[RADIO INTRO: Leland Lazarus is a security researcher at Florida International University]]
((Leland Lazarus, Florida International University Security Researcher)) ((Skype))
“We still need to find out those specifics, but it does raise the question about territorial sovereignty, about whether a democracy can protect its citizens and whether democracies can trust each other.”
((NARRATOR))
Without distancing itself from key ally Canada, it is in the best interest of the U.S. to grow closer to New Delhi…
according to international relations expert at the University of Southern California, Patrick James.
((Mandatory cg: Skype))
((Patrick James, USC International Relations Analyst)) ((Skype))
“Not to antagonize India and to befriend India in a period where there are genuine concerns about whether there are enough resources to contain the Sino-Russian coalition which looks very aggressive right now.”
((NARRATION))
As the Sikh community in different parts of the world demands answers, U.S. officials
have encouraged India to cooperate with the Canadian investigation and stressed that transnational repression anywhere in the world is a concern for Washington.
((Veronica Balderas Iglesias, VOA News))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateSeptember 28, 2023 20:15 EDT
Byline
Veronica Balderas Iglesias, VOA News
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
