Australia Trade Minister visiting India for talks on proposed FTA

New Delhi: Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan is visiting India to advance negotiations for a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) aimed at promoting economic ties between the countries, according to an official statement released by Canberra on Wednesday.

Tehan will hold a meeting with his Indian counterpart Piyush Goyal to further the ongoing negotiations on the India-Australia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA),

it said.

"Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan will travel to India today to advance negotiations on a free trade agreement and promote Australia as a premium destination for students and tourists," the statement said.

The two sides have agreed to conclude a long-pending FTA, officially dubbed as CECA, by the end of 2022.

Goyal and I have been in regular contact over the Christmas/New Year period because we are both committed to concluding an interim free trade agreement, Tehan was quoted in the statement.