File photo: PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump NEW DELHI: India and the US concluded the initial round of discussions for a bilateral trade agreement on Saturday and experts will now move ahead with sectoral discussions in the coming weeks. “In order to realize the shared objective of promoting growth that ensures fairness, national security and job creation, both sides have through four-days of discussions in New Delhi broadly come to an understanding on the next steps towards a mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), with the goal to finalize its first tranche by fall 2025,” an official statement said. Negotiators from the two countries have identified the priority areas to increase market access by lowering duties and non-tariff barriers and deepening supply chains, it said.
“Both sides look forward to building on this milestone in the coming months to finalize the bilateral trade agreement, ensuring it aligns with the shared goals of prosperity, resilience, and mutual benefit.” The discussions follow PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump’s announcement to negotiate a bilateral trade agreement and more than double trade to $500 billion by 2030. Subsequently, commerce and industry minister met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to take forward the talks.
The talks at the official level were led by Brendan Lynch, assistant USTR, and Rajesh Agrawal, additional secretary in the .
