India, US to hold trade talks on Tuesday, Trump-Modi friendship is real: America's envoy

New Delhi, Jan 12 India and the US continue to be actively engaged in trade talks and the next meeting between the negotiators of the two countries is scheduled for Tuesday, America’s newly-appointed Ambassador to New Delhi, Sergio Gor, said on Monday.

Addressing staffers and journalists as he took charge of the US embassy here, Gor said that US President Donald Trump conveyed “his best wishes to his friend Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

“The friendship between Trump and PM Modi is real and the US and India are bound not just by shared interests, but by a relationship anchored at the highest levels. Real friends can disagree, but always resolve their differences in the end,” Gor remarked.

He also stated that while trade is very important for the India-US ties, the two countries will continue to work closely together on other very important areas, such as security, counter-terrorism, energy, technology, education, and health.

He emphasised that both sides remain in regular contact despite differences over tariffs and market access.

Gor also announced that India will be invited to join 'PaxSilica' as a full member next month. He explained that 'PaxSilica' is a new initiative that the United States launched just last month to build a secure, prosperous, and innovation-driven silicon supply chain from critical minerals and energy inputs to advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, AI development and logistics.

“Nations that joined last month include Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Israel. India’s inclusion would further strengthen the group,” he added.

Gor’s statement on the bilateral trade talks clears much of the confusion created by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s comments that the India-US trade negotiations have stalled because PM Modi “didn’t call” President Trump.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) rejected Lutnick’s statement, saying that “The characterisation of these discussions in the reported remarks is not accurate.”

“India remains interested in a mutually beneficial trade deal between two complementary economies and looks forward to concluding it,” MEA spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said.

Lutnick had said the trade deal failed after Trump did not receive a call from PM Modi on the issue, adding that Washington moved ahead with other agreements instead.

Jaiswal said, "We have seen the remarks. India and the United States were committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with the US as far back as 13th of February last year. Since then, the two sides have held multiple rounds of negotiations to reach a balanced, mutually beneficial trade agreement.”

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