India-Canada row LIVE updates: ‘Indian govt should cooperate in investigation,’ says US
Here are the latest developments on this BIG story:On allegations by Canada, Michael Rubin, former Pentagon official and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute said, "Justin Trudeau was very short-sighted, and no one should trade, their short-term political convenience for the long-term relationship with the world's largest democracy".Experts have pointed out that the talks for a free trade agreement (FTA) between India and Canada may have taken a pause but will resume once the political row between the two countries is resolved.However, they said that India may not hurry for the trade agreement as 60% of New Delhi's exports are already entering Canada at zero duty.In March last year, the two countries re-launched negotiations for an interim agreement, officially dubbed as Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA).Over half a dozen rounds of talks have been held between the two countries on the trade pact so far.In such agreements, two countries significantly reduce or eliminate customs duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them. They also liberalise norms for promoting trade in services and attracting investments."I do not think that the current diplomatic row would impact the resumption of FTA talks.
It would resume after the differences between the countries will settle down," international trade expert Biswajit Dhar said.Indian industry was looking at duty-free access for products like textiles and leather besides easy visa norms for the movement of professionals. Canada has interests in areas like dairy and agricultural products.The bilateral trade between the countries has increased to $8.16 billion in 2022-23 from $7 billion in 2021-22.The Indian government has suspended new visas for
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