In a last-minute decision, Commerce & Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has decided against attending the India-Asean Economic Ministers’ meet, scheduled to begin on Wednesday in Myanmar.

While there was no official statement, late in the evening, the minister tweeted that she had to cancel her attendance as the Prime Minister was set to launch a “mega scheme for financial inclusion”.

The cancellation has led to speculation about the Government’s commitment towards regional ties. The Economic Ministers’ meeting may now not take place.

Last month, Sitharaman skipped a Ministerial meeting of SAARC countries as Parliament was in session.

Important meeting

This meeting was important because India and Asean were expected to finalise a bilateral agreement on services and investment so that it could be signed later this year at the India-Asean Summit.

Sitharaman was also scheduled to meet the Indonesian Minister to garner that country’s support for India’s stand on food security at the World Trade Organization.

“We have decided to use various forums and meetings to persuade Indonesia and China, which have public procurement programmes similar to ours, to support India’s stand. Both the Ministry of External Affairs and the Commerce Ministry will do their bit,” a Government official told BusinessLine .

Sitharaman, who is scheduled to be in Beijing early next month, is also expected to take up the matter with her Chinese counterpart.

Trade pact on hold

India had refused to back a pact on trade facilitation without a simultaneous agreement guaranteeing no action against it for subsidising public procurements.

The trade agreement aims to facilitate movement of goods across borders by improving infrastructure and easing customs procedures.

While both Indonesia and China, as part of the G-33 group of developing countries at the WTO, have been backing India’s demand, neither had linked it to the trade facilitation agreement.

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