Tag : EFTA

New Delhi [India]: European Free Trade Association member countries and India are making "progress" on an agreement on free trade, with officials saying that the two sides have "never been closer" to a pact. In exclusive interviews with ANI on Wednesday, Norwegian Trade Minister Jan Christian Vestre and Swiss State Secretary for Economic Affairs Helene Budliger Artieda, commended growing ties between India and EFTA member countries. However, they refused to comment on the deadline for the finalisation of talks on free trade. The European Free Trade Association is a trade organisation and free trade area consisting of four European states- Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The two officials were on a visit to India to hold a discussion with the Indian government on a trade pact between New Delhi and the four nations. EFTA and India began talking about a Free Trade Agreement 15 years ago, and despite 20 rounds of negotiations, they have not yet been closed. Norway Trade Minister Vestre informed that he is happy with the progress on the free trade agreement between India and four European countries. Though both ministers refrained from mentioning any deadline for the pact, they said both sides are positive and they are hoping that the agreement will be finalised "soon." This is the third visit of Vestre to India in 2023 and the seventh for Artieda Without giving details about sticking points in negotiations, the Minister said, "We have been negotiating on a potential free trade agreement for the last 15 years. We have made quite some efforts this year. This is my third visit to India this year. And I'm very happy to see that we are also progressing now. We will move forward. We have resolved a lot of issues. There are some ...