New Delhi, 13 July (H.S.):

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday dismissed reports claiming that India had declined to conclude a trade agreement with the United States in the near term and had instead chosen to wait for more favourable terms. He described the reports as completely false, baseless, and misleading.

The Union Minister said that negotiating teams from both India and the United States are fully engaged in finalising a mutually beneficial trade agreement. He noted that he met United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in New Delhi last month, during which both sides reaffirmed their commitment to concluding a balanced and commercially meaningful agreement that would deliver tangible benefits to businesses, farmers, workers, and consumers in both countries.

Goyal said that he had held highly productive discussions with Jamieson Greer during the US Trade Representative's visit to New Delhi in June. He added that the negotiating teams of both countries remain fully committed to achieving this objective.

A crucial two-day ministerial dialogue on the proposed interim Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) between India and the United States was held in New Delhi beginning June 24. Both countries have been working to finalise the agreement before the expiry of the United States' temporary 10 per cent tariff on July 24.

However, the official statement issued after the talks did not announce any final outcome or confirm that an agreement had been reached.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar