External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has expressed the hope that the trade talks between India and the US will reach a “successful conclusion”. He emphasized the need to find “meeting ground” between the two countries.
He said, “And I think we have to keep an eye on this area for the next few days.”
Jaishankar said on Monday, “You talked about business, yes we are in the middle of a very complex business talks, hopefully more than the middle.”
His remarks came during a conversation with Newsweek CEO Dev Pragad at the headquarters of New World Trade Center near 9/11 memorial in Manhattan.
He said, “Clearly, my hope is that we will take it to a successful conclusion. I cannot guarantee it, because there is another side in that discussion.”
Jaishankar was answering a question asked on Indo-US relations and trade talks between the two countries.
He said that something will have to be given and taken in it. “And just as people living in America or America may have ideas about India, similarly people living in India also have ideas about America. And we have to find a kind of union place. I believe it is possible,” he said.
In response to another question on Indo-US trade talks, Jaishankar said that it has been discussed very deeply in the last few months. He said, “I cannot say which country has held talks for how many rounds, but I suspect that we will join countries who have held the most talks.”
An Indian delegation is currently in Washington DC and bilateral trade agreement is under discussion. He said, “So our expectations, our hope, is definitely that we will bring it to a common ground.” He also said that these are complex dialogues.
He said, “You are really looking at thousands of lines and very complex trading, which are both based on what the market value of those lines is really market value and what can be the expected market value of those lines. So these are not simple, cursory calculations.”
He said, “So far. So this practice is going on. If they are able to create proper balance, you will get the result. Obviously, diplomacy is an optimistic profession, so I hope we will reach there. But it is like things, until it is done, it is not complete.”
In response to the question that President Donald Trump has said that the trade agreement with India will be held soon, the White House Press Secretary Caroline Lewit agreed to the fact on Monday, saying in a press conference that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutenic was in the oval office with President Trump and “he is finalizing these agreements.”
He said, “When it comes to India, you will listen to the President and his team, his business team very soon.”
On the Indo-US relations from Bill Clinton’s President’s period to the current Trump Administration, Jaishankar said that trends in bilateral relations have been very positive.
He said that the trend line has been very strong in the last 25 years, as structural factors such as economy, technology, education, security and energy work for this relationship. He said, “These are all motivators of relationships today.”
Jaishankar said that there will be debates and differences in relationships.
He said, “Surely this happens. This will not be the first time. In fact, in each of the President’s tenure, I can think of something that was the point of conflict at that time,” he recalled that he had to deal with Washington’s plan to sell F16 aircraft to Pakistan.
He said, “Relationships can never be free from problems, even I would say that there may be differences. I think the ability to deal with it and the ability to continue this trend in a positive direction.”
