IANS | 27 Apr, 2023
Ministers
and high-level representatives from India and the European Free Trade
Association (EFTA) States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and
Switzerland) gathered on Wednesday in New Delhi to discuss the prospects of
resuming their negotiations towards a Trade and Economic Partnership
Agreement (TEPA).
The
high-level delegations were composed of Piyush Goyal, Minister of
Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public
Distribution and Textiles of India; Jan Christian Vestre, Minister of
Trade and Industry of Norway; Helene Budliger Artieda, Swiss State
Secretary at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO; Martin
Eyjólfsson, Permanent Secretary of State of Iceland at the Ministry for
Foreign Affairs; Kurt Jäger, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of
Liechtenstein to EFTA, WTO and the UN in Geneva; and Henri Gétaz,
Secretary-General of the European Free Trade Association.
The
meeting provided an opportunity for both sides to exchange views on the
state of play of their negotiations and explore ways to advance the
talks.
The participants acknowledged the challenges posed by the current
global economic and trade environment, as well as the need to address
the bilateral trade and economic partnership issues in a constructive
and pragmatic manner.
Both sides agreed to continue their efforts to
resolve all outstanding issues and work towards deepening and
strengthening the economic partnership, while contributing to a more
inclusive global trading system.