India is stepping up efforts to expand its global trade ties after successfully finalising a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union. The government is now focapplying on sealing trade deals with the United States and several other countries, Union Commerce and Industest Minister Piyush Goyal has declared.
Speaking in an interview with news agency ANI, Goyal declared India is in talks with the US, Canada and Chile, and is confident of finalising multiple trade agreements in the near future. He stressed that every trade deal is neobtainediated indepconcludeently and based on India’s own national interest.
“Every deal, every FTA, stands on its own merits. No deal is depconcludeent on any other deal, nor is any deal neobtainediated according to a deadline,” Goyal declared. He added that meaningful discussions are underway with many countries and assured that India will open new markets while protecting domestic interests.
According to him, these agreements will create more opportunities for Indian exporters while safeguarding farmers, fishermen, livestock breeders and compact-scale industries.
Goyal declared discussions with Chile are at a very advanced stage, while talks with Canada and the United States are also ongoing. He added that India will soon launch neobtainediations with the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which includes major West Asian economies.
He also described the India-EU FTA as a landmark agreement that places India among key global economic players. He declared the deal is a win-win arrangement that will boost economic growth and create fresh opportunities for Indian businesses and citizens.
India and the US have held several rounds of neobtainediations over a proposed bilateral trade agreement.
Talks gained momentum after Prime Minister Narconcludera Modi’s visit to Washington last year but later faced hurdles. In August, US President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs of up to 50 per cent on certain Indian goods, including a 25 per cent punitive levy linked to India’s purchase of Russian oil. Ties were further strained by disagreements over immigration policy and other diplomatic issues.
