The round began with an opening ceremony with the participation of the Vice Minister of Foreign Trade of Peru, Teresa Mera; the Ambassador of India in Peru, Mr. Vishvas Sapkal; the Chief Negotiator of India, Mr. Vipul Bansal; the Chief Negotiator of Peru, Mr. Gerardo Meza; and the delegations of both countries.
The sixth round of Peru – India negotiations to reach a Trade Agreement took place from February 12 to 14, 2024, in Lima, Peru, to continue the work started in 2017 when the negotiation process was formally announced.
During the ceremony, the Vice Minister of Foreign Trade of Peru and the Chief Negotiator of India gave brief introductory words reaffirming their commitment to continue working efficiently, as Peru and India did before the pandemic, with five successful rounds until August 2019. Negotiations resumed. with a Special Virtual Round in October 2023.
In this sense, both speakers emphasized the importance of carrying out the negotiation process with pragmatism, to find creative solutions and reach consensus that will allow us to achieve this common objective in the short term. The Trade Agreement will create more business opportunities for its citizens and businesses, and will also strengthen its economic and trade ties.
In this round, nine working groups met in person: trade in goods, rules of origin, trade in services, movement of natural persons, customs procedures and trade facilitation, dispute settlement, initial provisions and general definitions, final provisions, and legal and institutional issues.
More than 70 delegates from both countries together participated in these meetings, including the respective negotiating teams of Peru and India and delegates from other public entities. On the Peruvian side, the delegation was headed by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism, with the participation of officials from entities such as the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Production, SUNAT , among others. On the Indian side, the delegation consisted of government officials and legal representatives from the Department of Commerce, the Department of Revenue and the Directorate General of Foreign Trade.
In addition, during this week and the next, other working groups such as technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, trade defense and cooperation will continue to hold virtual meetings. The next round is expected to be held in April 2024, a date that will be set in the coming days.
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– 2024-05-07 20:57:38
