Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, held bilateral discussions for deeper economic ties and moving ahead on free trade agreements (FTAs) with his counterparts from the UK and EU on the sidelines of the G7 trade ministers’ meeting at Reggio Calabria in Italy, an official statement said on Wednesday.

Goyal congratulated Jonathan Reynolds, UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade, on his appointment and discussed deepening bilateral economic relations.

The conversation included plans to take forward the discussions on the FTA between India and the UK.

Goyal also held discussions with Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice President of the European Commission, focused on promoting India-EU trade and economic collaborations, including the ongoing FTA negotiations.

Both sides explored opportunities to strengthen cooperation in various areas of mutual interest, the statement said.

During his discussions with Antonio Tajani, Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, both agreed to enhance bilateral trade and investments, industrial co-production, and cooperation in clean technologies.

Goyal also congratulated Tajani for hosting a productive G7 Trade Ministers' meeting.

In his talks with New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay, Goyal explored opportunities to enhance bilateral trade and investment ties for mutual growth.

The discussions aimed at giving further impetus to the existing strong trade relationship between India and New Zealand.

The Minister also met Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs & Climate Action, Germany, and discussed opportunities to elevate the growing Indo-German trade and economic partnership.

The discussions focused on the upcoming Inter-Governmental Consultations and the Asia-Pacific Conference of German Businesses in Delhi.

These bilateral engagements are expected to pave the way for significant advancements in India's trade relations with key international partners, the official statement added.

--IANS