Foreign Secy Misri meets US envoy amid trade negotiations

In a sign of easing tensions in India-US relations, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Wednesday met US Deputy Trade Representative Rick Switzer here.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the two discussed the strength of the India-US economic and technology partnership, ongoing trade negotiations and opportunities to boost two-way trade and build resilient supply chains. Switzer is on a two-day visit to India for high-level discussions with senior officials.

A US trade delegation is already in New Delhi from December 10-12 for talks aimed at finalising a bilateral trade agreement (BTA). “Ambassador Switzer will be meeting senior officials in the Indian government to further discussions on trade,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

Both sides have been actively negotiating a comprehensive agreement spanning multiple sectors, with the goal of significantly expanding bilateral trade.

Meanwhile, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, speaking to mediapersons in Jaipur, said discussions with the US were moving forward steadily. “We are in continuous talks with the US on trade issues and are working towards a bilateral trade agreement,” he said. Goyal added that the US negotiating team was already in India and that “continuous progress” was being made. He said he hoped to meet the team during their visit.

The minister stressed that trade negotiations take time. “All trade discussions, including with the US, have various angles, and many dots have to be connected. We never negotiate deals with deadlines,” he said.

Earlier in the day, US trade representative Jamieson Greer told the US Senate Appropriations Committee that India’s offers on pending trade issues were “the best that the US has ever received”, responding to questions about expanding American agricultural exports to India.

India and the US have held several rounds of talks, keeping the dialogue open despite delays. India remains hopeful that the first tranche of the agreement will be finalised within the next few months. The BTA was first discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington earlier this year, and both sides are keen to formalise the deal.