India and the United States have concluded most of the discussions for their proposed bilateral trade agreement and are now fine-tuning the pact, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Monday, according to PTI and IANS reports.

Source: PTI via The Hindu BusinessLine

"We have concluded most of the discussions and are fine-tuning the agreement," Goyal said in The Hague, where he was addressing the India-Netherlands Business Forum during a two-day official visit with a business delegation.

India and the US had announced in February the finalisation of a framework for the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement. Changes in the tariff landscape in the US have since led to further negotiations on the pact, PTI reported.

Goyal's remarks follow recent comments by US President Donald Trump, who told reporters at the White House that the two sides were "pretty close" to a deal, and by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who said major issues had been addressed and the countries were close to finalising an agreement, IANS reported.

Source: IANS

Goyal has earlier said the final agreement must give Indian exporters a competitive advantage over rivals in other countries. He said India has concluded nine free trade agreements in the last four and a half years and is holding trade negotiations with eight other countries.