India-British economic, trade panel launched

Thursday, 13 January 2005, 20:30 IST
Printer Print Email Email
NEW DELHI: India's Commerce Minister Kamal Nath and Britain's Secretary of State for Trade and Industry Patricia Hewitt Thursday launched a Joint Economic and Trade Committee (Jetco) to push bilateral commercial relations. Jetco aims to help India and Britain identify obstacles and opportunities to increase bilateral trade and investment ties besides providing a forum to proactively find ways to address related issues. "India and the UK, in our own ways, will have a major role to play in writing the global history of this new century," Kamal Nath said here after signing the pact on behalf of India. "Let us hope that the signing of this agreement will go a long way in increasing and substantiating that role," said Kamal Nath, who chairs the committee on behalf of India. "Jetco will be a vital new link between the British and Indian economies," added Hewitt, who chairs the panel on behalf of her government. "It will build on our substantial trade relationship and provide the framework for improving the strong business-to-business links between India and the UK. The UK attaches great importance to this new initiative," Hewitt added. The signing of the agreement was followed by the first meeting of the panel, which was announced in the Joint Declaration signed Sep 20 last year by India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his British counterpart Tony Blair.
Source: IANS
siliconindia