US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is visiting India to advance discussions on the interim trade deal agreed upon by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump in February.
“This week, Ambassador Jamieson Greer will travel to New Delhi, India, to meet with India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, and other senior Indian officials to discuss the joint US-India Joint Statement and Interim Agreement as part of the broader US-India Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) negotiations,” the USTR said in a statement on Sunday.
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Trump and Modi met on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in France last week, where the US President said that India and the US are very close to finalizing the trade agreement.
Trump also described Modi as a tough negotiator and highlighted the personal relationship he enjoys with the Indian Prime Minister.
The meeting between Jarir and Goyal comes on the heels of negotiator-level discussions on the agreement held from June 2 to 4 in New Delhi.
Earlier, Commerce Minister Rajesh Agrawal said that discussions between the two ministers are expected to revolve around finalizing the framework agreement.
On June 5, Goyal said that India and the US were moving towards closing all open ends of the FTA, and the two sides were likely to implement the “very vibrant” first phase of the FTA by the middle of next month.
After his trip to India, Greer will travel to Uzbekistan, where he will meet President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Head of the Presidential Administration Saida Mirziyoyeva, and Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khojayev.
Greer’s discussions in Uzbekistan will focus on achieving fair, balanced, and reciprocal trade with the United States.
