Indian Ambassador Meets US Trade Representative And Former NSA Amid Bilateral Trade Talks

Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra held talks with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and former National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien in Washington on Wednesday.

According to PTI, the meeting took place as India and the US continue negotiations on the finer elements of a bilateral trade agreement (BTA).

A delegation of Indian officials is expected to visit the US soon for further discussions on the bilateral trade agreement.

“Honored to host Amb. Jamieson Greer and Amb. Robert O’Brien at India House today,” Kwatra said in a post on X on Wednesday.

“We had productive conversation on a range of bilateral cooperation opportunities. Also discussed important developments across the world. Appreciate their strong and continuing support for strong India-US ties,” Kwatra said.

In February, India and the US announced finalisation of a framework for the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement. According to that framework, the US had agreed to reduce tariffs on India to 18 per cent.

Bilateral trade was also discussed during the recent visit of Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to Washington last week.

On February 20, the US Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump's tariffs policies imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEPPA) were unconstitutional.

India and the US were initially planning to sign the trade deal in March, but changes in the tariff landscape following the US Supreme Court ruling have altered the situation.

Official sources have earlier stated that the agreement will be signed once the new global tariff architecture of America is in place.

The trade negotiations also come under the cloud of two investigations launched by the US Trade Representative under Section 301 that deals with failure to enforce prohibition on imports of goods produced using forced labour and over capacity production in certain manufacturing sectors by some countries, including China and India.

PTI reported that a delegation of Indian officials is expected to visit the US to hold discussions on the bilateral trade agreement.

According to PTI, the meetings reflect ongoing efforts to advance the bilateral trade agreement amid shifting US tariff policies and ongoing investigations.

(With inputs from PTI)