Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma today said, the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, CEPA between India and ASEAN will be in place by the end of this year. Inaugurating the first India-ASEAN Business fair in New Delhi, Mr. Sharma said that trade target of 70 billion US dollars between India and ASEAN nations will be achieved by 2012. Mr. Sharma expressed happiness that for the first time ministers from all ASEAN countries assembled in New Delhi.Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry, Dato Seri Mustapa Mohamed said, that the Free Trade agreement is only the beginning. He said that negotiations on the agreement on investment and services will also be concluded by the end of this year.Earlier in the day, Mr. Sharma along with all the ASEAN Ministers made a courtesy call on the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and apprised him of the progress in India-ASEAN relations. Mr. Sharma informed that the Prime Minister has invited all the Heads of ASEAN countries to India for the first Summit to be held soon in Delhi. Our Correspondent reports that Ministers from Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Mayanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia alongwith Deputy Secretary General of ASEAN Pushpanathan Subramanyam are participating in the five day conclave.
News On AIR | March 2, 2011 9:03 PM
India-ASEAN CEPA by 2011 end: Anand Sharma