India-US Trade Deal Back On Track? What Happened During Piyush Goyal's 2-Day Delegation Visit

India and the US are seeking an "early conclusion" of a mutually beneficial trade deal, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Friday. A delegation led by the Commerce and Industries Minister

Piyush Goyal visited the United States of America from September 22-24. The Minister had meetings with Ambassador Jamieson Greer, United States Trade Representative, and Sergio Gor, US Ambassador designate to India. "The delegation had constructive meetings with the US Government on various aspects of the deal. Both sides exchanged views on possible contours of the deal, and it was decided to continue the engagements with a view to achieve early conclusion of a mutually beneficial Trade Agreement," the Commerce Ministry said in its statement.Apart from meetings with the US Government representatives on bilateral trade matters, the delegation held discussions with key US-based businesses and investors on promoting trade and investment between India and the United States.The meetings with businesses and investors evoked a positive response, and business leaders reposed confidence in the India growth story and expressed their desire to intensify their business activities in India, the Ministry shared. Also Read: Trump-Modi Meet Soon? US Official Signals 'Lot Coming Up' On US-India Relationship

Modi-Trump meeting also on the cards?

Days ago, a senior State Department official had affirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump share a "very positive relationship" despite "turbulence" in the bilateral relationship between the two nations and added that a meeting between the two leaders will take place in due course.Talks are also ongoing to set a date for the next Quad Leaders summit, either later this year or early next year. Goyal, who led the delegation for meetings in New York, had also hinted at positive developments in India-US trade talks during his visit. His remarks came during a keynote address at an event, 'Energy Security in a Shifting Global Landscape: Building Resilient Energy Markets Across Borders' hosted by the Consulate General of India in New York, US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), and India's leading decarbonisation solutions provider, ReNew."Clearly, the world recognises that (energy security) is one area where we all have to work together. India is a big player in the energy field... we are big importers of energy from across the world, including from the US," Goyal said on Tuesday.India currently faces 50% tariffs on its imports in the US, including a 25% penalty for its purchase of Russian oil.