U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said the proposed interim trade agreement between India and the U.S. is 99% complete [1].
The deal represents a significant effort to deepen economic ties between the two nations, aiming to reduce trade barriers and strengthen a partnership that Gor described as the most consequential.
Speaking at a press conference in Paris, Gor said that the agreement is in its final stages of negotiation [4]. He said that while the vast majority of terms have been settled, a small portion of outstanding issues remains to be addressed before the agreement is finalized [2].
"We have resolved 99 per cent of the issues; the remaining 1 per cent is being worked on," Gor said [3].
The ambassador said that the remaining 1% of issues [3] are currently being processed by negotiators. Gor's remarks come as he prepares for travel to New Delhi to continue coordinating with India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri [1].
Gor said that India and the U.S. are close to finalizing the pact, with only a small fraction of the work left to complete [2]. The interim nature of the agreement is designed to provide immediate economic benefits while the two countries work toward a more comprehensive, long-term trade relationship [1].
"The proposed interim trade agreement between India and the US is 99 per cent complete," Gor said [1].
“"The proposed interim trade agreement between India and the US is 99 per cent complete."”
The near-completion of this interim agreement signals a strategic pivot toward incrementalism in US-India trade relations. By securing a temporary deal first, both nations can demonstrate tangible economic wins to their domestic constituencies without the immediate political risk of a full-scale free trade agreement, which often stalls over sensitive agricultural and intellectual property disputes.
