India says Chile FTA close to completion, Canada talks progressing, SACU talks launched

India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal told reporters that the free-trade agreement with Chile is close to being sealed and that talks with Canada are progressing well. He announced the start of negotiations with the Southern African Customs Union, whose five members are Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa, after signing terms of reference in August. Goyal highlighted Mexico’s eagerness for an early harvest agreement and expressed optimism that Brazil’s newly elected government will help expand the existing India-Mercosur preferential trade pact.

He also pointed out that negotiations with the Gulf Cooperation Council and Israel are slower due to the West Asia crisis, despite India’s readiness to accelerate them. Additionally, Goyal said the Eurasian Economic Union talks are limited to goods and are still under assessment, while several other countries, including Ecuador and Egypt, have shown interest in future agreements.