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.