NEW DELHI - India and Canada held talks on Thursday to discuss ways to boost trade, promote investment, and deepen bilateral cooperation, officials said.

The two sides discussed the issues at the 7th India-Canada Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment here.

"The meeting marked a renewed phase of engagement aimed at reinvigorating bilateral trade and investment ties and setting a forward-looking agenda for cooperation," said a statement from India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

According to the ministry, the dialogue covered a wide-ranging agenda, including key areas of economic cooperation such as nutritional security, supply chain resilience, health sector cooperation, and investment facilitation.

Officials said trade in goods and services between India and Canada stood at $18.38 billion in 2023.

New Delhi and Ottawa got engaged in a diplomatic row in September 2023, which was followed by tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions.

Bilateral relations began to improve following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney in June this year.