New Delhi
27 July 2005
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked the commerce and the
external affairs ministries to begin negotiations with Gulf Cooperation Council for signing
of a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA) and preferential trade
agreements.
At a meeting of trade and economic relations committee, the Prime Minister spoke about
a new 'look west policy' to promote stronger trade and economic relationship with GCC
countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The CECA would include agreements on trade and services as well as investments, a
spokesman of the Prime Minister's office said after the meeting. The focus of the
government is to forge stronger ties with countries in the western neighbourhood as well
as the Bay of Bengal rim countries, he said.
Indian officials would hold talks with GCC as well as governments of these nations at
bilateral levels as well, the spokesman said. To a question whether government had
fixed a timetable for such agreement or identified areas of cooperation, he said: "This is
just a beginning and details are still to be worked out."
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