Paris, Jun 18 (PTI) Trade was a major subject of discussion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, with both leaders directing their negotiators to finalise the proposed trade pact at the earliest, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Thursday.

Misri's comments came a day after Modi and Trump held wide-ranging talks for the first time in 16 months on the margins of the G7 Summit in an attempt to rebuild the strained bilateral ties.

"There were some important and urgent issues that needed to be discussed yesterday, notably the trade agreement, which is something that has created a certain amount of uncertainty over the past year or so between the two countries," the foreign secretary said.

"And it was important that we move forward to some kind of certainty on these issues," he said at a media briefing.

Misri said significant progress has been made on the conclusion of the interim trade pact and that US Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, will be visiting India next week to take forward the discussions.

"With the United States, we have made significant progress already on the conclusion of an interim free trade agreement. We are in the final stages of concluding that agreement," he said.

"In the bilateral meeting between the prime minister and President Donald Trump in Evian, this was a major subject of discussion. Both leaders once again gave instructions for this agreement to be concluded at the earliest possible," Misri said.

The foreign secretary said trade was a key area of focus during Modi's separate bilateral meetings with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Canadian PM Mark Carney, and European Union leaders Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen.

Misri said the West Asia situation also figured prominently in PM Modi's engagement at G7 outreach meetings as well as in his bilateral talks.  PM Modi expressed India's desire to see sustained peace and security in West Asia, he added.

US President Trump on Wednesday signed an initial agreement to end the war with Iran.

Misri said India has been in close touch with most of the protagonists who are involved or affected by the conflict.

"We remain in very close touch with all of those partners, and we'll be ready to do whatever it is, whatever it is possible for us to do, in so far as addressing the next steps," he said.

"India welcomed the developments that have taken place through the understanding that has been reached between the US and Iran and hopes to see a rapid return to peace and stability in the region," Misri said.

The foreign secretary said India always emphasised the importance of maintaining the freedom of navigation and unimpeded commerce through the international waterways in the region.

He said Modi specifically underlined the importance of the safety and security of seafarers.

"He noted how hundreds of thousands of Indian seafarers essentially provide a global public good by serving on maritime platforms that serve the global community and serve global maritime trade in a big way, and why therefore their safety and security should be a common concern of the global community," Misri said.

"This is something that he voiced not just in his intervention at the G7 summit outreach meetings but also in his bilateral meetings with several leaders," he added.

Misri said India expects that the peace deal between the US and Iran will lead to sustained peace and stability in West Asia.

"India has always advocated the path of dialogue and diplomacy to settle conflicts such as these. We have always also expressed our readiness to contribute in any manner that we can," he said.

"We have very strong relationships with all of the countries in the region," he said. PTI MPB ZH ZH

Interim free trade agreement negotiations advance as leaders urge swift conclusion of the India-US trade pact. Trade negotiations between India and the United States were described as being in the final stages of an interim free trade agreement, with both leaders directing their negotiators to conclude the pact at the earliest. The discussions were said to have addressed uncertainty in bilateral trade and to have produced significant progress, with further talks expected to continue through an upcoming visit by the US Trade Representative.