Trade just one aspect of India-US ties: Foreign Secretary Misri tells parliamentary panel

Trade is just one aspect of the India-US relations, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told Standing Committee on External Affairs on Monday and reaffirmed the importance of bilateral ties between the two countries amidst ongoing tariff problem, a source said.

The Foreign Secretary further stated that there are other aspects of the India-US relations as well from where many positives can be drawn and referred to extradition of Tahawwur Rana, US' condemnation of Pahalgam attack and declaring The Resistance Front as terrorist organisation, said a source, who was present in the meeting.

Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal and other officials from Commerce Ministry told the committee that India is looking for diversification exports to mitigate the impact of the US tariffs, the source added.

The Commerce Secretary also informed the committee about the trade agreements that India has signed with various other countries and added that negotiations are on with the European Union. The Commerce Ministry officials informed the panel that efforts are underway to leverage the potential of India’s existing trade agreements with partners like the UAE, Australia, ASEAN, Japan, South Korea, and Mauritius.

The officials acknowledged that this phase in trade relations is challenging, the source said, adding that, they emphasised that India has certain red lines that it cannot cross. However, they also asserted India is engaging constructively to resolve all outstanding issues with the US through dialogue and mutual respect.

The committee headed by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor discussed the current developments in India's foreign policy with special reference to the US-India trade negotiations and tariffs.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal and India's Chief Negotiator for Bilateral Trade Agreement with the US Rajesh Agrawal deposed before the committee and responded to the queries raised by the members.

Following the meeting, Tharoor said the meeting took three hours and over 50 questions were asked to the Foreign Secretary and the Commerce Secretary, reflecting the interest of nation in knowing more about developments involving tariffs, negotiations with the US, and other geopolitical implications.

“While the details cannot be disclosed, the Foreign Secretary reaffirmed the importance of the Indo-US relationship despite this particular problem, and the Commerce Secretary assured that the dialogue process is ongoing,” Tharoor said.

The meeting was called in the wake of US President Donald Trump's announcement of 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods entering into the US.

India and the US announced Bilateral Trade Agreement in February and negotiations for the same was started in March. So far, five rounds of negotiations were completed and the sixth round of negotiation is scheduled for August 25.

While Trump has ruled out the possibility of trade negotiations with India citing unresolved tariff issues, officials told the committee that they have not received any communication from the US regarding the cancellation of sixth round of talks.