New Zealand belatedly joins ‘Five Eyes’ partners to criticise India's expulsion of Canadian diplomats

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, October 25

New Zealand, the only “Five Eyes”’ nation that had not publicly backed Canada in its diplomatic spat with India, has also expressed concern over Ottawa’s reduced diplomatic presence.

“We are concerned that India’s demand that Canada reduce its diplomatic presence there has led to the departure of a large number of Canadian diplomats from India. Now seems the time for more diplomacy, not less,’’ said a New Zealand Foreign Office statement.

“We expect all states to uphold their obligations under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, including in relation to the privileges and immunities of accredited staff,’’ it added.

The New Zealand Foreign Office usually does not comment frequently and had held its peace over Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s allegations last month regarding Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder in British Columbia in June this year.

Sources here pointed out two of the “Five Eyes’’ countries were reluctant to cast their lot with the other three – Canada, the US and the UK – in trying to put Indian intelligence services and, by implication NSA Ajit Doval in the dock. Australia and New Zealand, however, felt repeated public statements on the issue will serve no other purpose but to only stiffen India’s back.

The US, the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia constitute the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance, said to be the most pervasive surveillance network in the world.

Interestingly, after keeping quiet for days, New Zealand and Australia joined the US and the UK in criticising India after the intelligence chiefs of Five Eyes met last week in the US. This was the first time they came publicly together to dwell on theft of intellectual property by China in a fireside chat.

But it was during the meeting that New Zealand and Australia were asked to also speak up on India forcing Canada to achieve parity in rank and numbers of diplomats posted in each other’s country.

Sources said among those present were Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Director-General Mike Burgess, New Zealand Security Innovation Service Director-General of Security Andrew Hampton, Canadian Security Intelligence Service Director David Vigneault, MI5 Director Ken McCallum and the FBI Director and host Christopher Wray.