Kamal Ghorui
The United States has said it looks forward to hosting an Indian delegation in Washington later this month, indicating renewed momentum in bilateral trade engagement as both sides seek to advance the proposed trade agreement.“Highly Productive meeting with @USTradeRep Ambassador Greer to discuss advancing @POTUS trade priorities in South and Central Asia. The United States and India have previously agreed to a trade deal, and we look forward to welcoming an Indian delegation to Washington later this month.” Ambassador Sergio Gor posted on X after a meeting with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. The development comes as Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is on a three-day visit to the US, where he is meeting senior officials to review bilateral ties, including trade, defence and technology, and to discuss regional and global developments such as the West Asia crisis.“The visit will provide an opportunity to review the full spectrum of India-US bilateral relations and advance ongoing cooperation across key areas,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.India’s Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra said Misri’s visit “offers an opportunity to review with our US partners the full breadth of the India–US partnership, and to advance discussions across key pillars of our bilateral agenda – including trade, defence, technology, and exchange perspectives on regional and global developments.”Officials indicated that progress on the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA) is likely to be a key focus during the visit, with both sides looking to move forward on pending issues.The visit comes hours after the US and Iran agreed to a conditional two-week ceasefire that includes reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a development with implications for global trade and energy flows.Earlier, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal had held talks with USTR Jamieson Greer on the sidelines of the WTO ministerial meeting in Yaounde, discussing “next steps in the India-US BTA negotiations” and ways to deepen economic cooperation.India and the US had in February announced that they had finalised a framework for the first phase of the trade agreement, though it is yet to be signed.Officials said finalisation of the pact has been delayed due to changes in the US tariff framework following a Supreme Court ruling and subsequent tariff measures imposed by the Trump administration.A planned meeting of chief negotiators to finalise the legal text was postponed, with officials indicating that the interim agreement will be signed once clarity emerges on the revised US tariff architecture.The MEA said Misri’s visit follows External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s trip to Washington in February and reflects continued high-level engagement between the two countries.
