India (Commonwealth Union)_ During a meeting conducted in New Delhi, India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) nations took measures towards resuming negotiations for a Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA). The EFTA is a regional trade organization that includes four European states, namely Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. The resumption of negotiations between India and the EFTA nations is anticipated to strengthen the commercial ties between the two sides. As part of its efforts to diversify its export markets, India has been working to strengthen its economic ties with EFTA nations. In return, the EFTA countries are planning to expand their presence in the rapidly expanding Indian market.
India’s trade minister, Piyush Goyal, as well as the high-level representatives from the EFTA countries, including Jan Christian Vestre, the Minister of Trade and Industry of Norway; Helene Budliger Artieda, Swiss State Secretary at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs; Martin Eyjólfsson, Permanent Secretary of State of Iceland at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs; Kurt Jäger, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein to EFTA, WTO, and the UN in Geneva; and Henri Gétaz, Secretary-General of the EFTA, attended the meeting.
