New Delhi, May 15 (IANS) A high-level team of US officials is expected to visit India next month to continue the bilateral trade talks, although the exact dates have not been finalised yet, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Friday.
India’s team of Commerce Ministry officials visited Washington in April for a round of meetings with their US counterparts to finalise the details of the interim trade pact, which is to be signed ahead of the broader bilateral trade agreement (BTA).
“We expect the US team to visit soon… maybe next month,” Agrawal told journalists here.
He further stated that India is engaged with the US in trade talks and the agreement would be signed at an opportune time.
The US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, said on Monday that the Donald Trump administration was committed to increasing trade and investment relations with India.
“We’re committed to expanding opportunities for trade, reducing regulatory barriers, and encouraging Indian businesses to invest in the United States for the benefit of both our countries,” Ambassador Gor said in a post on X.
Earlier, Gor said that under President Trump’s leadership, investment is flowing back into the United States at record levels as Indian companies plan to invest over $20.5 billion in various sectors, including tech, manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals.
“This includes the 12 Indian companies who announced $1.1 billion in investments on May 6. These partnerships are creating real American jobs and building stronger supply chains. Proof that when the world’s largest democracies do business together, everyone wins,” Gor wrote on X last week.
India and the United States have made progress on key matters such as market access, non-tariff measures, technical barriers to trade, customs and trade facilitation, investment promotion, economic security alignment and digital trade in the latest round of negotiations held in Washington to finalise the details of the interim trade agreement between the two countries, the Commerce & Industry Ministry said on April 24.
The Indian delegation held discussions with their US counterparts from April 20 to 23.
“The meetings were conducted in a constructive and positive spirit with meaningful and forward-looking discussions enabling progress on key matters. Both sides agreed to remain engaged to maintain this momentum as they move forward,” a ministry statement said.
India and the United States issued a Joint Statement on February 7, agreeing on a framework for an Interim Agreement regarding reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade. The framework reaffirmed the countries’ commitment to the broader India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement negotiations.
–IANS
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