India intends to proceed with negotiations for free trade agreements (FTAs) with the UK, the EU, and Canada, according to India's commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal. He also said that the government was only seeking temporary visas for Indian workers, professionals, and students and was not promoting immigration through the proposed treaties.
The minister announced that ministers from Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, the four members of the European Free Trade Association, will meet in Delhi on April 26 to discuss potential trade agreements. A new negotiator for discussions with India will soon be named by the Gulf Cooperation Council, which consists of the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar.
“Some people mix up mobility and immigration. They are two separate subjects. Mobility is about expanding trade and business, about temporary visas and people, who come temporarily into a country either for work or for studies or for trade. India is not seeking permanent immigration visas from any country. We are only looking to engage with countries on mobility,” he said here.
Goyal said more temporary visas, such as those provided through trade agreements with the UAE and Australia, will help provide services, increase trade and investment, and help students stay back in those countries for work.
The next round of trade negotiations between India and the UK is set for April 24, indicating their desire to advance the planned free trade agreement (FTA). According to government officials, all parties want to settle the disputed issues as soon as possible, and political action is being taken in response to concerns that pro-Khalistan activists may threaten the Indian High Commission in London.