Ministers and high-level representatives from India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland) gathered in New Delhi today to discuss the prospects of resuming their negotiations towards a Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA).

The high-level delegations were composed of Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles of India; Jan Christian Vestre, Minister of Trade and Industry of Norway; Helene Budliger Artieda, Swiss State Secretary at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO; Martin Eyjólfsson, Permanent Secretary of State of Iceland at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs; Kurt Jäger, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein to EFTA, WTO and the UN in Geneva; and Henri Gétaz, Secretary-General of the European Free Trade Association.

The meeting provided an opportunity for both sides to exchange views on the state of play of their negotiations and explore ways to advance the talks. The participants acknowledged the challenges posed by the current global economic and trade environment, as well as the need to address the bilateral trade and economic partnership issues in a constructive and pragmatic manner. Both sides agreed to continue their efforts to resolve all outstanding issues and work towards deepening and strengthening the economic partnership, while contributing to a more inclusive global trading system.

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Trade and Economic Partnership talks to resume; parties commit to resolving outstanding issues and deepening cooperation. High-level officials from India and EFTA States met to advance resumption of negotiations on a Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement, review the state of talks, identify challenges from the global trade environment, and commit to continue efforts to resolve outstanding issues, explore ways to advance negotiations, and deepen the economic partnership toward a more inclusive global trading system.