NEW DELHI: US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Friday expressed optimism that an interim trade agreement between India and the US will be signed soon. Delivering a talk on US-India Trust Initiative: Advancing partnership in research and training’ at IIT-Delhi, Gor said the agreement between is in the final stages and will unlock prosperity for both.
“President Trump’s goal is to facilitate bilateral trade in a way in which it creates unprecedented opportunities for American businesses and workers. Just last week, India had sent a team to Washington, DC, to finalise the last one per cent of that trade deal. Next week, we will welcome a US delegation here to continue those talks. We fully expect the new trade deal to be signed within the next few weeks and months,” he said.
Within just two decades, the bilateral trade between India and the US has shot up from 20 billion to 220 billion in goods and services. “It is not just the volume, but it reflects deeper engagement and stronger economic integration,” he said.
Repeatedly dwelling on the solid partnership between the two nations, the ambassador said, “Critical and emerging technologies are fundamentally reshaping the global balance of power. And I believe no partnership is better positioned to lead that charge than ours.”
The Indo-US relationship must deliver tangible benefits for both nations. “For too long, those centres of power have been in places that have frankly remained outdated. One of the things the Trump administration has done is identifying the new centres of power. To me, to the president and the administration, the importance of India is now. It is not stuck in other places. It is not stuck in past societies. We realise the potential that India has and the growth that India has, not only economically but also strategically to the world.”
