India-US Trade Deal in Final Stretch: US Ambassador Sergio Gor

Washington (IANS): The proposed India-US trade agreement has reached its “last one or two per cent”. Negotiators are now actively resolving the final remaining issues, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor announced on Monday. Gor expressed strong confidence that both nations will wrap up the deal soon following nearly 18 months of intensive negotiations.

Speaking at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) Leadership Summit, Gor revealed that officials from both countries have intensified their engagement over the last few weeks to push the agreement across the finish line.

“Just last week, US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer visited us in Delhi for two days, and we are hopefully in the final steps of this deal. Most of this deal is complete. A few items remain from both sides, but it’s in the last one or two per cent,” Gor stated.

Beating the “20-Year” European Pace

While some critics wonder why the negotiations have taken a year and a half, Gor put the timeline into global perspective.

“To put it into perspective, the European trade deal took 20 years,” Gor noted. “No matter what, as long as we beat the European deal, I think we’re in good shape.”

He remains fiercely determined to close the deal, describing it as a massive win-win for both superpowers rather than a lopsided agreement. According to Gor, the framework will inject vital stability for corporations that trade bilaterally.

Targeting $500 Billion in Bilateral Trade

Negotiations have moved at a relentless pace recently. Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal recently held talks in New York, which Ambassador Greer immediately followed with his high-level meetings in New Delhi.

The new trade framework aims to supercharge a relationship that has already expanded dramatically over the last two decades.

• The Growth: Bilateral trade skyrocketed from $20 billion to $220 billion over the past 20 years.
• The New Goal: President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have set a bold target to push bilateral trade to $500 billion over the next few years.
• US Market Dominance: India currently exports more goods to the United States than to any other country on earth.

Silencing the Online Pundits

Ambassador Gor directly rejected internet rumours and social media speculation suggesting that Washington and New Delhi are drifting apart.

“To all those pundits that sit online and tweet and say this relationship is in trouble—when you look at the facts of where this relationship stands, whether it’s trade, whether it’s defence, or whether it’s the people-to-people ties, the relationship is on strong footing,” Gor asserted.

He reiterated that President Trump attaches immense importance to India and remains fully committed to expanding alliances in technology, semiconductors, supply chain resilience, and defence. Both governments continue to view the economic and strategic roadmap as a defining partnership of the 21st century.