<p class="title">India meets the criteria for trade concessions under the US Generalised System of Preferences (GSP), Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said Thursday, asserting that it was up to Washington to take a call on the issue.</p>.<p class="bodytext">His remarks came a day after a bipartisan group of 44 US lawmakers urged the Trump administration to reinstate India's designation as a beneficiary developing nation under the key GSP trade programme as part of a potential trade deal between the two countries.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Trump administration terminated India's designation as a beneficiary developing nation under the GSP on June 5.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The GSP is the largest and oldest US trade preference programme and is designed to promote economic development by allowing duty-free entry for thousands of products from designated beneficiary countries.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Gokhale, at a press conference on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to the US, said, "We have seen the letter written by these 40-odd Congressmen. It has always been India's position that GSP is a unilateral decision given by countries to other countries based on certain criteria."</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We are a developing country, we meet those criteria. I do not recall our ever stating, we are not interested in GSP. To my recollection the US unilaterally withdrew that concession from us," Gokhale said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Our position in the matter is clear, we believe that GSP is something which is important for our industry, but ultimately it is a matter for the US to take a call on," he said.</p>
<p class="title">India meets the criteria for trade concessions under the US Generalised System of Preferences (GSP), Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said Thursday, asserting that it was up to Washington to take a call on the issue.</p>.<p class="bodytext">His remarks came a day after a bipartisan group of 44 US lawmakers urged the Trump administration to reinstate India's designation as a beneficiary developing nation under the key GSP trade programme as part of a potential trade deal between the two countries.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Trump administration terminated India's designation as a beneficiary developing nation under the GSP on June 5.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The GSP is the largest and oldest US trade preference programme and is designed to promote economic development by allowing duty-free entry for thousands of products from designated beneficiary countries.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Gokhale, at a press conference on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to the US, said, "We have seen the letter written by these 40-odd Congressmen. It has always been India's position that GSP is a unilateral decision given by countries to other countries based on certain criteria."</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We are a developing country, we meet those criteria. I do not recall our ever stating, we are not interested in GSP. To my recollection the US unilaterally withdrew that concession from us," Gokhale said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Our position in the matter is clear, we believe that GSP is something which is important for our industry, but ultimately it is a matter for the US to take a call on," he said.</p>