New Delhi: The proposed trade deal between India and the United States is in its “last mile”, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Thursday at the NDTV World Summit in New Delhi, while cautioning that “it's never done till it's done”.

Source: IANS

“What you've heard not just from Secretary Rubio, but from Minister Piyush Goyal, from others, from me, is that we are moving towards it,” Jaishankar said, referring to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, who have also indicated the pact is in its final stages. ANI reported the same remarks from the summit session.

Source: ANI via Apna Ma TV

Final stretch poses its own challenges

“Often the last mile or the penultimate miles do pose their challenges. I think the [negotiating] teams are working through them now,” the minister said. Asked to name the specific issues still unresolved, he declined: “If you're asking me to tell you what exactly those challenges are, I'm sorry I won't. That's for the negotiators to sort out.”

The remarks come days after Jaishankar hosted Rubio in Mumbai earlier this week for wide-ranging talks during the US Secretary of State's second visit to India in under five months. US President Donald Trump has also remarked that the agreement is “pretty close”, ANI reported.

The two countries have spent upwards of a year negotiating a bilateral trade arrangement designed to broaden market access while resolving long-standing differences over tariffs, agricultural commodities, industrial merchandise and regulatory barriers, according to ANI. The deal is seen as a significant step in strengthening economic ties between New Delhi and Washington.