India proposed to forge a bilateral agreement to establish a long-term regional trade and investment area with Asean. The proposal will be taken up by Commerce and Industry Minister Murasoli Maran who arrived here to participate in the first Asean Economic Ministers (AEM) India consultation on Sunday. India will have a clear roadmap for enhanced economic cooperation with Asean by following a building block approach in a time bound manner, an official statement said. This interaction at the trade ministerial level will provide useful inputs for the Asean India summit scheduled for November. The consultation will be co-chaired by Brunei Minister for Industry and Primary Resources Pehin Dato Abdul Rahman Taib. A joint study conducted on ‘Afta-India linkages for enhancement of trade and investment’ has recommended putting into motion a mechanism for working out the institutional process for India and AFTA to come together.
