Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said today that he is looking forward to meet Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who will be visiting India later this month.

The Canadian prime minister will visit India from February 17-23 at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

During his trip, Trudeau will visit Agra, Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, besides Delhi. In Amritsar, Trudeau will be visiting the Golden Temple, the holiest of Sikh shrines.

"The visit will give Canada and Punjab the opportunity to strengthen business and trade ties for mutual benefit," he said in an official statement here.

The chief minister also welcomed the "categorical" denial by Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan of taking a pro- Khalistani stance, and congratulated Trudeau for creating the "necessary environment against secessionist forces" believed to be operating from his country, the statement said.

Divisive forces propagating terrorism should not be encouraged at any cost by any nation, the chief minister stressed, adding that such activities pose a serious threat to global peace and, therefore, should not be allowed to flourish in any part of the world.

Nurturing or supporting separatist forces always proves detrimental, in the long run, not only to countries against which they are unleashed but also to those which allow such elements to operate from their soil, he added.

Notably, the chief minister had refused to meet Sajjan during latter's visit to Punjab last year and had even accused him of being a "Khalistani sympathiser".

Singh, as Punjab Congress Chief in 2016, had written a strongly- worded letter to Trudeau, lodging a protest for denying permission for interaction with Punjabi NRIs in Canada in run-up to the Punjab assembly elections and had called it a "gag order".  PTI