India, U.S. ironing out differences on trade deal; nearing 'landing point': Jaishankar

Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar. File | Photo Credit: AP

India and the U.S. are continuing to engage to iron out differences on the proposed trade deal, and negotiations are heading towards a "landing point," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said, while noting that the core fundamentals of the bilateral strategic partnership remain unchanged.

The External Affairs Minister's comments on the trade negotiations came over a week after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the talks on the trade deal have reached a "plateau".

"I think we are waiting on a few things. I wouldn't be comfortable spilling the beans in public," he said at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum on Tuesday evening when asked about the status of the negotiations between the two sides.

Mr. Jaishankar said India's trade minister, the US Trade Representative (USTR) and other officials concerned are engaged in talks to move forward on the bilateral trade pact.

"When countries negotiate with an economy like the United States, obviously one part of it is what you work out between yourselves and the U.S., and one part of it is how do you fare vis-a-vis competitive economies.

"And that part of it is not entirely clear because not everybody has worked out a deal. I think people, the trade ministers, USTR (U.S. Trade Representative), and our Commerce and Industry Minister are there working on that. They're ironing it out," he said.