ASEAN hosted the 15th AITIGA Joint Committee and related meetings to review the progress and negotiations of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) at the ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, Indonesia, during 6^th to 9^th October 2026 along with other sub-committee meetings. The event was conducted in a hybrid format. The meeting was co-chaired by Shri Nitin Kumar Yadav, Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India, and Ms. Mastura Ahmad Mustafa, Deputy Secretary General (Trade), Ministry of Investment, Trade & Industry, Malaysia. The meeting saw participation from delegates representing ASEAN countries, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

Three out of eight Sub-Committees (SCs) under the AITIGA JC also held hybrid meetings on the sidelines of the 15th AITIGA JC, namely the Sub-Committee on Legal and Institutional Issues (SC-LII), the Sub-Committee on National Treatment on Market Access (SC-NTMA), and the Sub-Committee on Rules of Origin (SC-ROO). The meetings provided a valuable forum to deepen collaboration, enhance mutual understanding, and sustain constructive dialogue between both sides.

The Joint Committee (JC) directed all Sub-Committees to expedite pending chapters under the AITIGA Review, establishing firm, time-bound deliverables and urging close coordination to ensure measurable progress. Concluding on a productive note, India and ASEAN reaffirmed their shared commitment to a balanced, constructive, and forward-looking Agreement. Both sides underscored their shared commitment to resolve outstanding policy issues, deepen economic integration, and modernize the Agreement into a mutually beneficial framework that strengthens bilateral trade.

The next meeting of the AITIGA Joint Committee will be held in January 2027 in India in hybrid mode to review the progress made by the Sub-Committees and provide further guidance for the timely conclusion of the negotiations.