A team of officials from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), led by Brendan Lynch, Chief Negotiator of the India–US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) negotiations, met Indian officials in New Delhi on September 16 for a fresh round of discussions. The Indian side was led by Rajesh Agrawal, Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce.
The Commerce Ministry said the talks acknowledged the “enduring importance” of bilateral trade ties, describing the discussions as “positive and forward-looking.”
The two sides deliberated on various aspects of a potential BTA and agreed to intensify efforts to achieve an early conclusion of a “mutually beneficial” agreement.
The meeting comes after the sixth round of formal negotiations, originally scheduled for the last week of August, was postponed. The Commerce Ministry had earlier indicated that discussions were ongoing at multiple levels — diplomatic as well as technical — with the Ministry of External Affairs also engaged on certain issues.
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Officials had stressed that both sides were approaching negotiations with a positive frame of mind, aiming to resolve pending matters.
Confirming the latest round of talks, a US Embassy spokesperson told CNBC-TV18: “Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Brendan Lynch had a positive meeting in Delhi with his counterpart, Ministry of Commerce and Industry Special Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, on September 16 to discuss next steps in bilateral trade negotiations.”
The renewed push underscores the significance both governments attach to strengthening trade ties, with officials signalling momentum towards finalising the contours of an agreement that has been under discussion for several rounds.
(Edited by : Sheersh Kapoor)
