Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from France, Canada, Saudi Arabia and South Korea on the sidelines of the G20 Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Milwaukee, the United States. The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral trade relations with the respective countries.
During his meeting with France’s Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness Nicolas Forissier, Goyal discussed ways to expand trade and investment ties, expedite the India-EU Free Trade Agreement, and deepen cooperation in areas including aerospace manufacturing, UPI integration and joint innovation initiatives.
Goyal also held a productive meeting with Canadian International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu. The two ministers reviewed ongoing negotiations for the India-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and reaffirmed their commitment to expediting the talks.
The agreement, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in March, aims to take bilateral trade between the two countries to USD 50 billion by 2030.
In his meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Commerce Minister Majid bin Abdullah Al-Kassabi, Goyal discussed progress in negotiations for the India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Free Trade Agreement and explored opportunities to further strengthen bilateral trade and investment ties.
Goyal also met South Korean Trade Minister Park Jung-Sung. Their discussions covered the proposed upgradation of the India-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IKCEPA), balanced trade growth and improved market access for Indian agricultural, pharmaceutical and marine products. They also discussed opportunities to increase Korean manufacturing investment in India.
