India-ASEAN Trade Talks Underway: Piyush Goyal Attends Key Meetings in Laos

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal is visiting Laos to participate in the 21st ASEAN-India Economic Ministers meeting and the 12th East Asia Summit Economic Ministers Meeting. Key discussions will focus on the review of the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement in goods, aiming to make it more user-friendly and trade facilitative.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal's visit to Laos for the 21st ASEAN-India Economic Ministers meeting and the 12th East Asia Summit Economic Ministers Meeting is under close watch. The visit, which began on Friday in Vientiane, aims to advance discussions on the review of the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in goods.

The official statement highlights the significance of these annual meetings hosted by Laos, the ASEAN Chair for this year. The talks are designed to evaluate and potentially improve the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA), a key trade facilitation mechanism.

As India's Commerce Minister, Goyal is expected to hold bilateral meetings with counterparts from Korea, Malaysia, Switzerland, Myanmar, and the host country, Laos. These discussions come as ASEAN remains India's second-largest trading partner for the past two years, with both sides aiming to conclude the FTA review by 2025.

(With inputs from agencies.)