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The US did not accept India’s request for consultations under an agreement of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) concerning American tariffs on steel, aluminium, and related derivative products, Parliament was informed on Tuesday.
Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff
The US has maintained that these measures were introduced on the grounds of national security, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
India, however, considers these measures to be safeguard actions that should have been notified and subjected to consultations under the WTO’s Agreement on Safeguards (AoS).
“India has accordingly reserved its right to suspend substantially equivalent concessions (right to impose equal trade measures in response) due to the US’s non-compliance with its obligations under the AoS,” he said.
In a separate reply, the minister said India is actively involved in the discussions with the US on the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with the aim to expand trade and investment.
India-US bilateral trade agreement negotiations were launched in March 2025. Five rounds of negotiations have been held, the last being from July 14-18th, 2025, at Washington, USA.
“To safeguard the interests of farmers and the domestic industry, international trade negotiations allow for the inclusion of sensitive, negative, or exclusion lists — categories of goods on which limited or no tariff concessions are granted,” he said.
In addition, in case of surge in imports and injury to the domestic industry, a country is allowed to take recourse to trade remedial measures such as anti-dumping and safeguards on imports.
In another reply, the minister said India has not taken any decision to suspend or restrict trade or tourism activities with Turkey and Azerbaijan.
However, the import from Turkey has declined from $3.78 billion in 2023-24 to $2.99 billion in 2024-25.
The major items imported from Turkey during 2024-25 include Petroleum Crude, Gold, Inorganic Chemicals, Granite, Natural Stones and Aircraft & Spacecraft parts.
The major items of import from Azerbaijan during 2024-25 include Finished Leather, Medical and Scientific Instruments, Raw Hides and Skins, Fruits/Vegetables Seeds and Hand Tools, Cutting Tools of Metals.
