India, U.S. Set June 23-24 Talks To Finalize Trade Deal

NEW DELHI -India and the United States will hold another round of high-level trade talks on June 23-24 as both sides work to finalize the first tranche of a proposed interim trade agreement.

Senior officials from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) are scheduled to visit New Delhi for discussions with Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and senior Indian government officials.

Speaking at the monthly trade data briefing, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said: “Our expectation is discussion will be centered around giving final touches to the first tranche of the deal as well as the larger Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) that has been under discussion.”

The visit follows a round of negotiations held in New Delhi from June 2-4, when USTR officials and Indian negotiators discussed trade in goods, non-tariff measures, customs and trade facilitation, economic security alignment and other areas of mutual interest.

India and the United States had outlined a framework for an interim agreement in a joint statement issued in February and reaffirmed their commitment to negotiating a comprehensive bilateral trade agreement. (IANS)