Finance
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with his Croatian counterpart, Andrej Plenkovic, to discuss the early implementation of the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which will further deepen bilateral ties.
Both leaders met on the margins of the five-day AI Impact Summit, which is taking place in New Delhi.
Following the meeting, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “The two leaders exchanged views on ways to further strengthen India-Croatia relations and advance cooperation in new areas of mutual interest, including AI, information and communication technologies, innovation and clean energy, among others. Both leaders agreed to work for the early implementation of the India-EU FTA.”
Prime Minister Modi also appreciated the “deep interest” of the people of Croatia in Indology and the Indian traditional system of Yoga and Ayurveda.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi met his Finnish counterpart, Petteri Orpo, and discussed further enhancing cooperation in sustainability, digitalisation, AI research and ethical innovation.
The Prime Minister also thanked the Finnish PM for his “personal support” for the India-EU FTA.
“Held extensive discussions with the Prime Minister of Finland, Mr Petteri Orpo. Thanked him for his personal support to the India-EU FTA, which ushers in a golden era in India-Europe relations. India and Finland aim to double trade, thus giving a strong boost to economic linkages,” PM Modi posted on X.
Both leaders also discussed enhancing cooperation in futuristic technologies like 6G, innovation, clean energy, biofuels, circular economy and more.
On January 26, negotiations between India and the European Union for a Free Trade Agreement were completed, with the goal of establishing a massive trading bloc of 2 billion people, lowering tariffs on various goods such as automobiles, alcoholic beverages, and food products, improving access to markets for services, and strengthening collaboration in areas such as clean technology and digital trade.
This pact, known as the ‘Mother of All Deals’, significantly expands markets while also containing progressive tariff reductions, with India protecting sensitive sectors such as dairy and agriculture.
Source: IANS
