1.   

India, Lanka to hold more talks to strengthen economic ties

Given the vast untapped potential between India and Sri Lanka, the two countries have stressed on intensive consultations for a more comprehensive framework for economic co-operation and building a special economic partnership, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said on Tuesday. “We are working on setting up a special economic zone in Trincomalee, a pharmaceutical and a textiles cluster elsewhere in Sri Lanka. I have conveyed India’s readiness to support Sri Lanka’s endeavour in capacity building in science and technology, agriculture, ICT, education and health sector.

2.   

Australia-India ministerial talks

Australia's relationship with India has been further advanced in talks this week between Foreign Minister Bob Carr and India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid in New Delhi. Senator Carr was in New Delhi from January 20-22 for talks on regional security and economic issues and for the 8th Foreign Ministers' Framework Dialogue.

3.   

India and Canada likely to sign economic pact: Minister

Canada and India are likely to sign a comprehensive economic partnership agreement this year that could raise bilateral trade to 15 billion dollars in two years and substantially boost two-way investments, Canadian Minister of International Trade, Ed Fast has said. "Canada and India will discuss ways and means to speed up conclusion of CEPA (bilateral free trade agreement) when I meet my counterpart Indian Minister for Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma in Devos this week", Fast said before leaving for Switzerland to attend World Economic Forum Meeting being held in Davos.

4.   

EU looking to include Budget sops in free trade pact with India

The India-EU free trade negotiations have been unofficially put on hold till the Government announces its Budget for 2013-14 next month-end. The EU is keenly watching out for budgetary concessions, in areas such as insurance and import duties on goods, that could be woven into the bilateral agreement, an Indian official has said. “Since we have reached the last round of our negotiations, it seems that the EU wants to wait and see what our Budget offers so that it could incorporate it in the free trade agreement. Once a commitment is made in a pact, it is difficult to go back on it,” a Commerce Department official told Business Line.