Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Ministry of Commerce and Industry on August 3 said that the 5th meeting of the joint committee for the review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) was held at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta.
“It marks a significant milestone in enhancing economic cooperation between ASEAN and India,” the ministry said. It said that the Indian delegation also held bilateral meetings with counterparts from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam on the sidelines of 5th AITIGA meeting to develop a common understanding of the issues being discussed in the AITIGA review.
“Separate meetings were also held with ASEAN Secretary General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn as well as ASEAN Deputy Secretary General Satvinder Singh to discuss the possibilities in enhancing economic cooperation between India and ASEAN through a review of AITIGA,” the ministry added.
It said that the AITIGA Joint Committee had initiated discussions for review of AITIGA in May 2023 and after finalising its Terms of Reference and Negotiating Structure, AITIGA JC and its Sub-Committees started negotiations in February 2024. “The first two rounds of negotiations were held in February 2024 in New Delhi and in May 2024 in Putrajaya, Malaysia,” the ministry said.
