As India and the United States move closer to finalising a trade agreement, US ambassador to India Sergio Gor said the two sides have resolved most issues, with only a handful of sticking points remaining.
Responding to NDTV about what makes up the remaining 1 per cent of the deal, Gor declined to discuss specifics, saying he did not want to negotiate publicly. However, he suggested that the unresolved matters are relatively limited in scope.
“So, I don’t want to negotiate publicly, but there is 1 per cent sticking points. It’s incredible because you get to 99 per cent, and you’re right there, and so there are a few items,” he said.
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Gor said trade negotiations require compromises from both sides in order to arrive at a mutually beneficial outcome.
“Look, in these negotiations, each side has to give something, right? Because that’s what’s identified as the win-win situation,” he said.
Praising India’s negotiating team, Gor said the country’s representatives have been particularly effective at defending their interests.
“I will say to India’s credit, you have incredible negotiators,” he said.
According to him, India’s firm stance on several issues over the years has made trade talks challenging for its partners.
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“That’s one of the reasons this deal is tough because for many years, India held the line on so many items that the United States was not able to get in here. That’s why it took 19 years for the European Union to crack that trade deal,” he said.
Despite the remaining hurdles, Gor expressed confidence that an agreement is within reach. He said he would be meeting Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and officials involved in the negotiations during his brief visit to India.
“I’m actually here only for one day, and I’ll be flying and meeting with Mr Goyal tomorrow and our respective teams, so we’re very hopeful on that one last per cent,” he said.
Gor indicated that much of the unfinished work involves technical and legal details rather than major policy disagreements.
“A lot of it is frankly technicalities. Part of it is when does something kick in, and it’s a lot of legal language, but we’re hopeful that it’ll get there,” he said.
