India and the United States are fast moving towards concluding the first phase of their bilateral trade agreement (BTA), with both sides expressing optimism about finalizing the agreement by the autumn deadline.
News agency ANI gave this information on Monday quoting government sources. According to the claim, a high-level Indian trade delegation will visit Washington this week, where it will hold another round of talks with an aim to resolve outstanding issues and finalize the initial part of the agreement.
“Discussions with the US are progressing in a positive direction. Both sides are hopeful that the first tranche of the bilateral trade agreement will be completed within the stipulated time-frame,” a senior government source told ANI.
The upcoming talks are expected to focus on key market access issues, regulatory cooperation and trade expansion in the energy and technology sectors.
India is also looking to increase imports of natural gas and renewable energy technologies from the United States as a part of growing trade relations.
Sources said energy cooperation remains an area of mutual interest and India is keen to expand long-term LNG procurement and renewable energy cooperation with US companies.
“India is exploring opportunities to buy more gas and renewable energy from the US. This is in line with our clean energy transition goals and helps diversify energy sources,” the official said.
Meanwhile, India’s parallel negotiations with the EU for a free trade agreement (FTA) are also progressing, although some key issues are still unresolved.
“Negotiations with the EU are progressing well. However, matters related to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) are still pending, as well as trade concerns in the steel, auto and agriculture sectors,” the sources said.
An Indian trade team is expected to visit Brussels by the end of this month for another round of discussions to resolve differences and take the FTA process forward.
Officials indicated that both sides are working to address regulatory and tariff concerns in a balanced manner. “The Indian side is constructively engaging with the EU on all outstanding matters, including stability-related trade measures,” an official said.
The EU is India’s third largest trading partner and both sides are keen to strike an agreement that will provide better market access and regulatory predictability.
Trade relations with the US and EU are part of India’s broader strategy to strengthen global economic partnerships and secure more resilient supply chains amid changing geopolitical and trade dynamics.
