New Delhi: Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday that Qatar is ready to begin talks on a trade agreement with India, something that was first proposed during the State visit of Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad AlThani, in February this year.
The Qatar minister told me yesterday that they want to start negotiations, Piyush Goyal said during an industry function.
During Amir's official visit to India, the two countries agreed on the necessity to investigate ways to expand and diversify bilateral commerce. Countries should address market access concerns pertaining to commerce in commodities and services on a priority basis. The two parties agreed to explore the potential of establishing a bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. Both nations want to quadruple two-way commerce by 2030.
Piyush Goyal also stated today that the commercial agreement with Oman would be finalized in the following weeks. However, the minister's response did not include any dates or timelines for the anticipated signing of the India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
Negotiations for a broad commercial pact between India and Oman were recently finished.
India has strengthened its economic connections in the last five years, signing five significant Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and working on many more.
The EFTA countries, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland have made a $100 billion foreign direct investment commitment. These are wealthy nations... They require a trustworthy partner, such as India, where there is talent, expertise, and a vast domestic market with rising earnings, according to Piyush Goyal, who emphasized the ongoing trade agreement discussions with other countries.
The government is collaborating with developed countries to negotiate better trading opportunities and free trade agreements, according to him.
We have already finalized Mauritius, Australia, UAE, and the United Kingdom. The four-block FTA will take effect on October 1, just one month away... We are working with the European Union on overdrive. We are working with Eurasia, a bloc of numerous nations... Chile and Peru are moving forward, he added. We are also negotiating a bilateral commerce agreement with the United States, which we hope to complete in the first phase by autumn, October-November 2025.
According to him, all of these engagements will provide new prospects for India in terms of markets, investments, scale, quality, and innovation.
The agreements signed over the previous five years include the India-Mauritius Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA), which was implemented in 2021, and the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) in 2022, the India-European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement. (TEPA) in 2024, and the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) signed in 2025, which has yet to go into effect.
