Washington. Talks regarding the proposed trade agreement between India and America have intensified. US President Donald Trump has said that both the countries have come very close to a trade agreement and this agreement will be quite different from the earlier agreements. Meanwhile, strengthening trade, energy, technology and defense cooperation was discussed when the foreign ministers of India and America met in Mumbai.
Trump said – agreement with India is close
During a conversation with reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said in response to a question about a trade agreement with India, “They (India) want to make a deal. We will make a deal. Yes, we are very close to it.”
He said that this agreement will be quite different from their other agreements made till now.
Negotiations on trade agreement continue
India and the US had in February announced the finalization of the framework for the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA). However, due to changes in US tariff policies, negotiations regarding the agreement continued further. India's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Milwaukee and Washington earlier this month to discuss the specifics of the agreement. Now Trump's latest statement has again focused attention on this proposed agreement. However, official details regarding the final terms of the agreement and trade concessions are yet to be revealed.
Jaishankar and Rubio meet in Mumbai
Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met in Mumbai on Tuesday. During this, both the leaders discussed measures to further strengthen India-US relations. Jaishankar said in a post on social media that issues like trade, energy, technology, defense and increasing contacts between the people of the two countries were prominent in the talks. The two leaders also shared views on regional developments.
Emphasis on increasing energy and defense cooperation
According to the US State Department, the meeting also discussed India's energy needs, expanding energy trade with the US, defense cooperation and progress in the civil nuclear sector. Rubio said increased energy trade with the US could help India develop diverse sources of energy supply and meet its huge consumer demand. According to a US State Department statement, Rubio praised the progress made in defense and civil nuclear cooperation between India and the US. He also advocated increased purchases of American technology and systems to promote the security and prosperity of both countries.
Trilateral meeting between India, America and UAE
Jaishankar also held a trilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and United Arab Emirates (UAE) Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed. According to Jaishankar, useful discussions were held in this meeting on energy, connectivity system and current regional developments. The ongoing talks on trade agreement between India and America and the high level meetings held in Mumbai have highlighted various areas of cooperation in the economic and strategic relations of the two countries. However, clarity is awaited on the final terms of the proposed trade agreement and its potential impacts.