India not involved in war but collateral damage in all wars: Piyush Goyal

New Delhi: The nation has to come together to deal with the challenges emanating from the West Asia crisis, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said Wednesday.

“There is a war going on. We have nothing to do with the war. India is not in any way involved in the war. But when such a big war is going on, there is collateral damage. There are difficulties,” he said at an event.

“Let us make sure that we tied over difficult times in a situation where there's a war across the country, let us continue to stay united,” the minister stated, adding that despite global challenges, including ongoing conflicts impacting trade and logistics, India remains focused on strengthening its economic engagement.


He also said that the country has entered into free trade agreements (FTA) with 38 developed nations which has opened up two-thirds of global trade to Indian farmers, artisans, and Indian companies with little or zero duty.

Goyal highlighted that sectors including MSMEs, farmers, fishermen, and artisans stand to benefit significantly from this expanded market access, provided there is a continued emphasis on high-quality production and services.

The proposed FTA with the UK, signed on July 2025, is likely to be implemented by early May with both sides sorting out a few issues while the EU has indicated November as the timeline for ratification of the trade pact with India with its implementation expected this year itself. India has also inked trade deals with Oman and New Zealand.