NEW DELHI — India and the United States remain actively engaged in trade negotiations, with the next round of talks between officials from both countries scheduled for Tuesday, newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said on Monday.
Addressing embassy staff and journalists as he formally assumed charge in New Delhi, Gor said U.S. President Donald Trump had conveyed “his best wishes to his friend Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” underscoring the strength of ties at the highest political levels.
“The friendship between Trump and PM Modi is real and the US and India are bound not just by shared interests, but by a relationship anchored at the highest levels. Real friends can disagree, but always resolve their differences in the end,” Gor said.
He noted that while trade is a key pillar of the India-U.S. relationship, cooperation between the two countries extends well beyond commerce. Gor said New Delhi and Washington will continue to work closely on security, counterterrorism, energy, technology, education, and health.
The ambassador emphasized that negotiations have continued despite differences over tariffs and market access, and that both sides remain in regular contact.
Gor also announced that India will be invited next month to join PaxSilica as a full member. He described PaxSilica as a U.S.-led initiative launched last month to build a secure, prosperous, and innovation-driven silicon supply chain, spanning critical minerals, energy inputs, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and logistics.
“Nations that joined last month include Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Israel. India’s inclusion would further strengthen the group,” he said.
Gor’s comments helped clarify recent confusion following remarks by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who suggested that India-U.S. trade negotiations had stalled because Prime Minister Modi “didn’t call” President Trump.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs rejected that characterization. “The characterisation of these discussions in the reported remarks is not accurate,” MEA spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said.
“India remains interested in a mutually beneficial trade deal between two complementary economies and looks forward to concluding it,” Jaiswal added.
Lutnick had claimed the trade deal faltered after Trump did not receive a call from Modi, saying Washington moved ahead with other agreements as a result. Jaiswal countered that India and the United States had committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement as early as February 13 last year and have since held multiple rounds of talks.
“Since then, the two sides have held multiple rounds of negotiations to reach a balanced, mutually beneficial trade agreement,” Jaiswal said. (Source: IANS)
