14th India-Australia Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) Meeting was held on 29th January, 2013 in New Delhi. The meeting was jointly chaired by Shri Anand Sharma, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textiles, India and Dr. Craig Emerson MP, Australian Minister for Trade and Competitiveness and Minister assisting the Prime Minister on Asian Century Policy.

The issues discussed during the JMC Meeting were institutional framework for growth in bilateral trade and investment, initiatives of India Australia CEO Forum, Australia and India’s mutual interests in the effectiveness of global and regional economic institutions, launch of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership(RCEP) negotiations, strengthening of the East Asia Summit as a forum that incorporated all major economies in the India-Pacific region, G-20, WTO, IOR-ARC, Education and skill development, agriculture cooperation and food security , people-to-people links, etc.

During the JMC Meeting, both sides also welcomed bilateral co-operations like bilateral agricultural cooperation, negotiations on a bilateral civil nuclear energy cooperation agreement and Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) etc. These are incorporated in the ‘Joint Statement’. The ‘Joint Statement’ may be accessed from the website of Department of Commerce, Government of India at http://commerce.gov.in under the Head: International Trade, Subhead: Joint Statements and Minutes of Meeting.

This information was given by the Minister of State of Commerce & Industry, Dr. D. Purandeswari in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

DS/RK

(Release ID :93103)

Trade and investment cooperation pursued, including CECA and RCEP negotiations and a bilateral civil nuclear cooperation framework. The meeting focused on frameworks to expand bilateral trade and investment cooperation including pursuing a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), supporting Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations, and exploring a bilateral civil nuclear energy cooperation agreement, alongside sectoral cooperation in agriculture, education and people-to-people links, with commitments to strengthen engagement in multilateral and regional economic institutions.