Mumbai, Jan 31 (IANS) Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday said India expects to conclude a robust trade agreement “quite soon” with the United States, with negotiations continuing in parallel to its recently concluded pact with the European Union.
In an interview with NDTV Profit, Goyal said that India remains regularly in touch with US counterparts and is confident of reaching a deal, while rejecting suggestions that the FTA with Europe could delay talks with Washington.
“We are having very good discussions with the United States of America,” Goyal said, adding, “I think we’ll have an equally robust, equally good deal with the US quite soon.”
The Minister said that India does not negotiate to meet artificial deadlines and that each deal proceeds on its own timetable, according to the report. The EU agreement, he said, was concluded when both sides were ready, rather than to meet a preset deadline.
“You must have heard me on so many interviews and public comments. We never negotiate with a deadline,” Goyal said, adding that the European deal was finalised after sustained engagement rather than last-minute pressure.
Goyal said discussions with the US are continuing at multiple levels and that outstanding issues are being worked through. Negotiations with the US resumed last year after a pause triggered by tariff disputes.
The tariff turmoil unleashed by US President Donald Trump as part of his “America First” trade policy has been an important factor in speeding up the historic free trade agreement just concluded between India and the European Union, according to recent reports in the Western media.
The reports said that US tariffs of 25-50 per cent on steel, aluminium, and other Indian exports, and the collapse of US-India trade talks last year, pushed New Delhi to hedge its bets.
European allies, meanwhile, felt the strain of transatlantic spats, with Trump even threatening to impose tariffs over Europe’s refusal to sell Greenland.
–IANS
aar/rvt/
