India, UK trade ministers discuss FTA’s thorny issues resolution, low hanging fruits

India and the UK have identified and focused on low-hanging fruits in the free trade negotiations, which included the closure of several chapters, the government said Wednesday.

“This pragmatic approach aimed at resolving issues where negotiators had encountered challenges. The visit proved to be critical in overcoming crucial obstacles and charting a path forward towards an ambitious and mutually beneficial trade deal,” the government said in a statement after Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met UK’s Secretary of State for Trade Kemi Badenoch.

Goyal was on a visit to the UK from July 10-12.


The meeting was marked by a shared understanding and a commitment to advancing mutual interests, according to the statement.

The ministers also explored opportunities for enhanced collaboration between the two nations.

“The visit was strategically timed, coinciding with the critical stage of ongoing negotiations, and proved to be instrumental in moving the discussions forward,” the commerce and industry ministry said.

As per the statement: “Encouragingly, considerable progress was achieved during their frank and open discussions on various difficult issues”.

EFTA talks
In a separate statement, the ministry said that Goyal concluded a “highly successful meeting” with a delegation from the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), led by the Swiss State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Helene Budliger Artieda.

They had detailed discussions on crucial issues, with the shared goal of swiftly concluding the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations, and Goyal emphasised the importance of a comprehensive trade deal.

“The primary objective of these negotiations is to establish a fair, mutually beneficial, and comprehensive trade deal between India and EFTA,” the ministry said.