Latest Gulf Cooperation Council News & Updates

New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) The negotiations for the proposed free trade agreement between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) were formally launched here on Tuesday with the signing of a joint statement by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and GCC Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi.”Amidst global uncertainties, it is most opportune that discussions are starting on negotiating a robust trading arrangement which would harness mutual synergies and complementarities,” Goyal …

New Delhi, Feb 19 (IANS) The decision by India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to formally restart negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) after nearly fifteen years represents a significant geoeconomic inflection point between India and the Gulf states, as the relationship is no longer only energy-driven with the focus on geoeconomic realignments having assumed greater importance, according to a report.The revival of these negotiations is not merely a trade event — it is a strategi…

New Delhi, Feb 5 (IANS) India and the Gulf Cooperation Council on Thursday signed the Terms of Reference to guide the negotiations for the India-GCC Free Trade Agreement (FTA) The Terms of Reference (ToR), which will define the scope and modalities of the talks, were signed between Additional Secretary and Chief Negotiator, Department of Commerce, Ajay Bhadoo, and the GCC Secretariat General’s Chief Negotiator, Dr Raja Al Marzouqi, at the Vanijya Bhawan in the presence of Commerce and Industry M…

New Delhi, Feb 5 (IANS) India is set to roll out the first tranche of its Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with the United States in matter of days which will see a reduction in tariffs on domestic exports to 18 per cent, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday.The minister said that a joint India–US statement is likely to be released in the next four to five days. Once an executive order is issued following the statement, the reduced 18 per cent US tariff on Indian goods w…

New Delhi, Jan 22 (IANS) Amid global uncertainties, the current state of the economy provides ground for optimism going forward and the GDP growth estimates for 2025-26 indicate that India will remain the fastest growing major economy in the world, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).India has made significant efforts to diversify and strengthen its exports, aiming to mitigate external sector risks.“The country is currently engaged in trade negotiations with 14 countries or groups, re…

Washington, Dec 27 (IANS) Pakistan’s labour corridor to the Persian Gulf, marked by isolated compounds and informal religious networks, serves as a breeding ground for radicalisation and transnational recruitment, combining sectarian influences with worker vulnerabilities, a report said on Saturday. It added that returnees reinforce Pakistan’s terror ecosystems like Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Taiba, while onward migrants through Turkey-Balkans or Libya routes create blind spots in E…