India and Israel concluded the second round of negotiations for the proposed India-Israel Free Trade Agreement (FTA). During the four-day negotiations, between the 20th and 23rd of this month in New Delhi, both sides held detailed discussions across all areas of the proposed Agreement and continued to make progress towards a balanced, comprehensive and mutually beneficial FTA.
During this round, technical experts from both sides held dedicated sessions covering trade in goods, trade in services, rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, intellectual property rights, customs procedures and trade facilitation, economic cooperation, and other chapters under the proposed Agreement.
Ministry of Commerce and Industry said that the discussions were constructive and forward-looking, with both sides engaging in detailed technical deliberations aimed at narrowing gaps and identifying areas of convergence. They also reiterated their commitment to working towards the early conclusion of a balanced, comprehensive and mutually beneficial FTA that will further deepen bilateral trade, investment and economic ties between India and Israel.
The Ministry added that the Terms of Reference (ToR), signed between the two countries in November last year, continue to provide the structured framework for negotiations on the identified areas to strengthen bilateral trade, economic cooperation and the overall economic partnership.
