Washington, Feb. 7 — Former US Assistant Secretary of Commerce Raymond Vickery said India did not agree to eliminate all tariff barriers in the joint statement on the India‑US Interim Trade Agreement. Speaking to ANI, Vickery called the agreement a step that could help repair strains in the bilateral relationship after a difficult year. He said the deal ‘contains elements which, going forward, can help to bridge some of the discontinuities, which have been very harmful to the US‑India relationship over the past year.’
Vickery emphasized that India ‘has not agreed to reduce all of its tariff barriers to zero,’ despite some representations to that effect. He welcomed reductions in tariffs to 18 percent, but noted that level remains many times higher than before the trade dispute and that ‘there is a long way to go.’ He also praised India’s measured response to tensions, saying New Delhi avoided reacting to tweets or social media and instead adopted a rational approach to restoring ties.
The United States and India announced a framework for an Interim Agreement intended to provide reciprocal, mutually beneficial trade terms. The framework reaffirms a commitment to negotiate a broader Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), launched by US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Feb. 13, which is expected to include further market‑access commitments and measures to strengthen supply‑chain resilience.
This report is based on a syndicated feed and published as received (The Tribune/ANI). The Tribune assumes no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the original feed.
