Piyush Goyal to visit Canada, hold talks on trade pact

NEW DELHI: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Shri Piyush GoyalisexpectedtovisitCanadanext week and that trip could add political momentum to the ongoing negotiations for an Early Progress TradeAgreement(EPTA).

Goyal is scheduled to be in the Canadian capital Ottawa on May 8, for a bilateral Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment with Canadian Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic DevelopmentMaryNg.

He is then scheduled to visit Toronto on May 9 and 10 for meetings with trade and industry representatives and chambers of commerce.

The trade dialogue between the two countries started in March last year when Ng visited New Delhi and met Goyal. They also launched the EPTA process. The EPTA, if concluded, will be a transitional step towards the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

Indian and Canadian negotiators concluded their seventh round of discussions towards securing the EPTA in April. India and Canadian officials said there was “some progress” during the four-day discussions in Ottawa, as the two teams lead by their chief negotiators met in the Canadian capital. Some differences persist, officials said, but were not considered insurmountable.

Goyal’s possible visit, a senior Indian official said, could help give politicaldirectiontothetalksandgive them“momentum”.

Multimodal connectivity to shape Future links between Bangladesh & India

DHAKA: Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma said the future links between Bangladesh and India would be shaped by multimodal connectivity, including through road and rail, inland waterways, coastal shipping, as well as energy and digital connectivity.

He emphasized the long-term significance of connectivity in facilitating closer economic, cultural, andpeople-to-peopleties.

With a contiguous geography and shared history and culture, the high commissioner said, raising the scope and quality of connectivity is a common aspiration, aswellasa driverof India’s growing partnership with Bangladesh.

Cultural and historical relations between India and Bangladesh, as well as their geographic proximity, need to be leveraged to materialize the economicpotentials,saidtheenvoy.

He said the governments of both the countries and other stakeholders are working relentlessly to enhance connectivity infrastructure to bolster intra regional trade and have achieved commendable progress duringtherecentyears.