Piyush Goyal to Attend Key ASEAN-India Economic Meetings in Laos

Union Minister Piyush Goyal will join the 21st ASEAN-India Economic Ministers meeting and the 12th East Asia Summit Economic Ministers Meeting in Laos on 20-21 September 2024 to discuss trade agreements and economic developments.

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, is set to participate in the 21st ASEAN-India Economic Ministers (AEM-India) meeting and the 12th East Asia Summit Economic Ministers Meeting (EAS EMM), according to a statement from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. These significant meetings will be held in Vientiane, Laos, on 20-21 September 2024.

During the AEM-India meeting, ministers will review progress in negotiations to update the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA). The review aims to simplify and facilitate trade for businesses. The EAS EMM will focus on discussing regional and global economic developments. India, a founding member of the East Asia Summit Forum, will mark this forum's two-decade milestone next year.

On the sidelines of these meetings, Goyal will conduct bilateral engagements with ministers from participating countries, including Laos, Korea, Malaysia, Switzerland, and Myanmar. He will also meet with the ASEAN Secretary General and the President of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).

Goyal plans to interact with the Indian diaspora in Laos and meet an industry delegation visiting from India and ASEAN. India became an ASEAN Dialogue Partner in 1996 and achieved Comprehensive Strategic Partner status in 2022. ASEAN is India's second-largest trading partner for the past two years.

The EAS EMM features participation from Economic Ministers of 10 ASEAN countries and 8 other EAS partners, including India, the USA, Russia, China, Japan, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. The ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) has been in effect since 1 January 2010.

(With inputs from agencies.)