US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor announced on Tuesday that the US-India trade agreement is in its 'final steps,' with only 1% of negotiations remaining. Speaking at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum Leadership Summit, Gor expressed optimism that the pact would be finalized soon after nearly 18 months of talks.
Trade deal nearly complete
“We are in the final steps on this deal. Most of this deal is complete. There are a few items that remain on both sides. It's in the last 1% of that deal,” Gor said. He emphasized his determination to reach a consensus, noting that the agreement would benefit both countries. Drawing a comparison, he remarked, “To put it into perspective, the European trade deal took 20 years. So no matter what, as long as we beat the European deal, I think we're in good shape. But I'm determined to bring this to a close.”
Strong ties between leaders
Gor highlighted the close bond between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “President Trump still talks about his trip to India and has extremely positive memories of it. His visit last time was one of the most remarkable visits that he continues to talk about. He holds it in a very fond place,” Gor stated. He added, “I look forward to having the President visit us back in India.”
Benefits for businesses
The ambassador noted that businesses involved in bilateral trade would gain increased certainty from the deal. Citing several high-level discussions between trade officials, he claimed that both governments had maintained a fast pace of negotiations in recent weeks. “Over the past two decades, our bilateral trade has increased from $20 billion to $220 billion. That's an incredible job, and it's also something that we are going to take to a much higher level,” he said. He reiterated the ambitious goal of raising bilateral trade to $500 billion, set by PM Modi and President Trump.
