ISDS Case Map
IBSA
The quest for a free trade pact would be high on the agenda this week of high-level talks between South Africa and India in Pretoria, a government official said Thursday.
Certain analysts were critical of the summit's achievements, saying it failed to make real headway with matters central to trade between the three regional powers -- such as tariffs.
The declaration issued after the Tshwane India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Summit on 17 October 2007.
India, Brazil and South Africa cemented their trilateral cooperation by signing seven agreements here Wednesday and resolved to push for a free trade area, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh calling for considerably enhancing trade among the three.
IBSA was conceived in 2003 to counterbalance the powerful Group of Eight alliance of industrialised countries and to promote South-South cooperation. But a reality check reveals that all three IBSA members still do by far most of their business with industrialised countries.
Bilateral trade agreement with Asean and European Union are passe. The stage is set for the first trans-continental treaty with India, South Africa and Mercosur -- comprising Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay -- launching negotiations on a preferential trade agreement later this week.India will also start technical negotiations on Saturday for a PTA with the Southern African Customs Union, which consists of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland.
The India-Brazil strategic partnership formalised in September last year during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's tour of the South American country will be reinforced this week with specific inputs on trade and technology, according to official sources.
The meaning of my visit to India - the second one since my election as the President of Brazil - is to reiterate our readiness to forge a strategic alliance between our countries as I announced during my inaugural address in 2003. The visit of Prime-Minister Manmohan Singh to Brasilia in 2006 has greatly contributed to reinforce this partnership.
Two days after Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar had a dig at the Prime Minister over economic reforms and 9.2 per cent growth at a CII meeting, Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh has cautioned Manmohan Singh over parts of the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with the ASEAN group.
Following a comprehensive examination of the most recent merchandise trade flows between the relevant countries this paper looks at the possible economic results from removing all merchandise tariff barriers between the three partners of India, Brazil and South Africa/SACU.
