Lok Sabha Question No. 3646 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-17
Subject: New Bilateral Agreements
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Shri E T Mohammed Basheer

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3646 ANSWERED ON 17/12/2024

## NEW BILATERAL AGREEMENTS

## 3646.  SHRI E T MOHAMMED BASHEER:

Will  the  Minister  of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY ( वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मं त्री ) be  pleased  to state:

(a) whether  the  Government  has  proposed  for  any  new  bilateral  agreements  to  enhance cooperation in trade, defence, and technology with neighbouring and allied countries, if so, the details thereof;

(b) the  extent  to  which  India  benefited  from  recent  multilateral  initiatives  in  areas  like climate change, counter-terrorism, and public health; and

(c) the details of steps taken by the Government to strengthen cooperation with BRICS and ASEAN nations?

## ANSWER

## वाणिज्य और उद्योग मंत्रालय में राज्य मंत्री (श्री णिणिन प्रसाद)

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

(a) India is currently negotiating Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with the United Kingdom, the  European  Union,  Oman,  Australia  (comprehensive  agreement  building  on  India-Australia Economic Co-operation and Trade Agreement), Peru and Sri Lanka.    Moreover, India has also initiated  review  of  its  existing  FTAs,  namely  India-South  Korea  Comprehensive  Economic Partnership  Agreement  (CEPA)  and  ASEAN-India  Trade  in  Goods  Agreement  (AITIGA). Further,  the  Government  has  proposed  new  bilateral  agreements  to  enhance  cooperation  in Science & Technology (S&T) with neighbouring and allied countries. Finalization on an MoU with Nepal in the area of S&T is underway. The Government also has bilateral agreements to enhance cooperation in different areas of S&T with a few allied countries.

(b) India's  recent  multilateral  initiatives  in  areas  like  climate  change,  counter-terrorism,  and public health are as under:

## Climate change

-  During India's G20 Presidency, the Green Development Pact for a Sustainable Future was adopted by G20 countries in the New Delhi Leader's Declaration, reflecting a commitment to sustainable development. Additionally, on July 4 2024, India signed an environmental protection  agreement  with  Shanghai  Cooperation  Organization  (SCO)  member  states  in Astana, Kazakhstan aiming to enhance climate change cooperation.

-  India  has  been  actively  leading  global  efforts  in  industry  decarbonization  through  the Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) launched in 2019 in collaboration with Sweden. LeadIT, with 41 members (18 countries and 23 companies), facilitates dialogue, technology transfer  and  financial  support  to  accelerate  the  transition  of  heavy  industries towards low-carbon solutions. At COP28 (Conference of the Parties) in Dubai, India and Sweden launched LeadIT 2.0 and the India-Sweden Industry Transition Partnership (ITP), which  focuses  on  decarbonizing  the  steel  and  cement  sectors  by  promoting  innovation, research, and financing.

## Counter-Terrorism

-  India  has  consistently  highlighted  its  concerns  about  the  threat  of  terrorism,  particularly cross-border  terrorism,  during  interactions  with  global  partners  and  has  succeeded  in getting references to these concerns reflected in the agreements.
-  The 3rd No Money for Terror (NMFT) Ministerial Conference, held in New Delhi on 1819 November 2022, addressed global trends in terrorism and terror financing, focusing on illicit fund flows, the use of both formal and informal channels for funding, and the misuse of emerging technologies by terrorists. India's Union Home Minister proposed establishing a  permanent  NMFT  Secretariat  to  maintain  global  focus  on  countering  terror  financing. The  Delhi  Declaration  (October  2022)  emphasized  the  misuse  of  virtual  platforms  by terrorists  and  was  praised  by  the  UNSC.  The  Kazan  Declaration  (October  2024) condemned terrorism,  rejected  its  politicization,  and  emphasized  combating  tech  misuse and cross-border terrorism.
-  These multilateral initiatives in the counter terrorism sphere have brought this agenda into focus, raised awareness of the comity of nations and helped India garner support on the issue of terrorism. It has also helped in positive narrative building for India.
-  In addition, Ministry of Home Affairs has signed Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with  46  countries  and  one  Bay  of  Bengal  Initiative  for  Multi-Sectoral  Technical  and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Convention and 44 bilateral agreements/Memoranda of  Understanding  (MoUs)  on  Security  Cooperation,  Narcotic  Drugs  and  other  related fields.

## Public Health

-  India  has  participated  at  various  multilateral  forums  to  showcase  its  achievements  and commitments in health sector  such  as  G20,  United  Nations  General  Assembly  (UNGA) and G7 meetings. These participations highlight India's focus on advancing digital health, developing  TB  vaccines,  addressing  Antimicrobial  Resistance  (AMR)  through  a  'One Health'  approach,  traditional  &  complementary  medicine  and  emphasizing  the  need  for improved  surveillance  systems,  sustainable  practices  and  investments  in  research  and technology to tackle global health challenges effectively.

(c) India  actively  participates  in  the  various  discussions  and  processes  of  BRICS  and supports  BRICS cooperation spanning from economic, political,  cultural  and  people-to-people exchanges.

Further,  Missions,  line  Ministries  and  the  Indian  Leadership  have  been  participating  in various bilateral meetings/Summits as well as multilateral meetings/Summits convened under the ASEAN led mechanisms. Work plans have been developed to implement the initiatives, projects and  activities  agreed  upon  by  both  sides  keeping  in  view  mutual  interests  and  priorities.  The ASEAN-India  partnership  has  been  elevated  to  the  Comprehensive  Strategic  Partner  level  in 2022, which is the highest level of engagement of any dialogue partner country with ASEAN.

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