“I won’t be wrong in saying a free trade agreement with UK is very close,” Sitharaman said at an industry conference in New Delhi.
The finance minister’s comments come as the two nations work to agree on issues including intellectual property rights, rules of origin and an investment treaty.
While the two nations are not working with a deadline to close the deal, India is committed to “a good outcome at the fastest possible speed”, the country’s trade minister Piyush Goyal said at a separate press conference on Friday, after a G20 trade ministers gathering in Rajasthan, western India.
India and the UK will hold another round of discussions over the proposed deal while British trade minister Kemi Badenoch is in India, Goyal added.
A deal between India and the United Kingdom is crucial for New Delhi, which hopes to become a bigger exporter, while the UK would get wider access for its whisky, premium cars and legal services.
Both countries are aiming to double bilateral trade by 2030 via such a deal.
Source: Economy - investing.com
