India-US Interim Trade Deal Nears Conclusion

A day after PM Modi's meeting with US President Trump, govt said on Thursday that significant progress had already been made on the India-US interim free trade bilateral agreement and the two countries are in the final stages of concluding that agreement. Briefing reporters about Modi's G7 engagements, foreign secretary Vikram Misri also said India expects the US-Iran interim peace agreement to lead to sustained peace and stability in the region. Misri said both leaders once again gave instructions to officials to conclude the trade agreement at the earliest. "Next week, in fact, US trade representative Jameson Greer will be visiting India to take forward these discussions and in the bilateral meeting between the PM and President Trump yesterday in Evian, this was a major subject of discussion," said Misri. On the US-Iran peace deal, the foreign secretary said it is natural to have concerns about the agreement, to which Israel is not party, and that India will be ready to do whatever it can to address next steps. However, asked if India would nudge Israel to accept the peace terms, he said India is not a party to the conflict and would leave it to the parties to the conflict to decide how to arrive at arrangements to terminate the conflict and to find a roadmap for a path forward.