WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Thursday with India’s overseas minister amid a simmering row between New Delhi and Ottawa over allegations of Indian authorities involvement within the killing of a Sikh activist in Canada.

Blinken and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met Thursday on the State Department because the U.S. tries to navigate the dispute between its northern neighbor and the South Asian nation vital to its Indo-Pacific technique to counter China’s rising affect within the area.

Neither man spoke to the controversy that has disrupted Canada-India relations in very temporary feedback to reporters. U.S. officers had mentioned they anticipated the subject to be raised. “We have consistently engaged with the Indian government on this question and have urged them to cooperate,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller mentioned.

Earlier Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mentioned he had been instructed Blinken would deal with the matter and encourage the Indian authorities to cooperate with an investigation into the killing.

“The Americans have been with us in speaking to the Indian government about how important it is that they be involved in following up on the credible allegations that agents of the Indian government killed a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil,” Trudeau mentioned.

“This is something all democratic countries, all countries that respect the rule, need to take seriously and we are moving forward in a thoughtful, responsible way anchored in the rule of law with all partners, including in our approach with the government of India,” he instructed reporters in Montreal.

U.S. officers have acknowledged that the fallout from the allegations, which they take severely, might have a profound influence on relations with India however have been cautious to not solid blame within the June killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was slain in a Vancouver suburb.

Killed by masked gunmen, Nijjar was a frontrunner in what stays of a once-strong motion to create an impartial Sikh homeland, known as Khalistan, and India had designated him a terrorist.

India’s overseas ministry has dismissed the allegation as “absurd” and accused Canada of harboring “terrorists and extremists.” It additionally implied that Trudeau was attempting to drum up home help among the many Sikh diaspora.

In his feedback, Trudeau mentioned Canada didn’t wish to rupture ties with India however takes the matter severely.

“As we’ve presented with our Indo-Pacific strategy just last year, we’re very serious with about building closer ties with India,” he said. “At the same time … we need emphasize that India needs to work with Canada to ensure that we get the full facts on this matter.”

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Associated Press author Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.