European Free Trade Association (EFTA)
15-May-2023: Significant progress in taking forward the negotiations on India-EFTA TEPA
Following is the text of Press Communique issued at the conclusion of talks between Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, Government of India and leaders of European Free Trade Association:
“India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland) have taken a significant stride forward in their quest for a Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA). In a Ministerial meeting held in Brussels today, Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles of India; Guy Parmelin, Swiss Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research; Einar Gunnarsson, Ambassador, Permanent Representative at the Permanent Mission of Iceland in Geneva; Kurt Jäger, Ambassador, Permanent Representative at the Permanent Mission of Liechtenstein to EFTA, WTO and the UN in Geneva, and Erik Andreas Underland, Specialist Director at the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Fisheries, discussed the modalities of engagement for working towards a comprehensive TEPA. This second Ministerial gathering followed a series of expert meetings that took place online the previous week.
G-7
13-May-2023: G7 Ministerial Meeting
Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya addressed the G7 Health Ministerial meeting on Global Health Architecture in Nagasaki, Japan today. The meeting was held to discuss global health challenges and ways to ensure preparedness, prevention and response to future health emergencies. Health Ministers of the G7 countries and invited “Outreach 4” countries of India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand were present in the meeting.
Shanghai Cooperation Organization(SCO) Agriculture Ministers of Member States meeting
12-May-2023: 8th meeting of Agriculture Ministers of SCO countries chaired by Union Minister Shri Tomar
The 8th meeting of Agriculture Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries was held today through video conferencing under the chairmanship of Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar. Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China and Pakistan participated in it along with India. Under the chairmanship of India, SCO member countries adopted the Smart Agriculture project. Expressing satisfaction over the smart agriculture action plan and the initiative of innovation in agriculture, Shri Tomar said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's emphasis is on the overall development of agriculture in the country through technology. In this direction, India has taken several concrete steps to promote smart agriculture.