New Delhi, Feb 16 (PTI) A team of Indian officials will visit the US next week to finalise the legal text for an interim trade agreement, which is expected to be signed in March, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Monday.

The visit is likely to start from February 23.

India and the US earlier this month released a joint statement announcing that a framework for an interim trade agreement has been finalised.

"The joint statement lays down the contours of the deal. Now the contours of the deal has to be translated into a legal agreement, which will be signed between the two sides," he told reporters here.

Both sides are engaged in finalising that legal agreement and virtual talks are going on.

"Next week (India's) chief negotiator Darpan Jain will be leading a delegation to the US to finalise the legal trade agreement," he said. PTI RR HVA

Interim trade agreement: delegation to finalise legal text ahead of expected signing following framework agreement. An interim trade agreement framework will be converted into operative legal text through bilateral drafting: an Indian negotiating delegation will travel to the United States to finalise the legal agreement while virtual talks continue, moving from a joint statement of contours to definitive treaty language and preparing the instrument for signature.