The first round of talks for an India-UK free trade agreement (FTA), which began on January 13 and ended on Friday, covered 26 topics including goods and services trade, investment, intellectual property, trade obstacles, small and medium enterprises and geographical indicators.
‘Both sides recognise the importance of ensuring that this first round – which lasted nearly two weeks – could take place despite the challenges posed by the Covid epidemic,’ the commerce ministry stated in a statement.
The second round of negotiations is due to take place on March 7-18 Mach
‘Both teams maintain a common objective to conclude negotiations by the end of 2022,’ the statement said, adding that the two parties are working to reach a comprehensive deal while senior negotiators continue to weigh the advantages of an interim agreement.
By 2030, India and the United Kingdom want to double their bilateral trade in products and services to around $100 billion.
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