India is open to enter into Preferential Trade Agreements with interested countries in the South: Goyal at the ‘Voice of Global South Summit’

India hosted a special virtual Summit - "Voice of Global South Summit” under the theme "Unity of Voice, Unity of Purpose” on 12-13 January 2023. The Summit encompassed inaugural and concluding sessions at Head of State / Government level, and hosted by the Prime Minister, and 8 Ministerial sessions hosted by respective Cabinet Ministers of India.

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal, hosted the Commerce and Trade Ministers’ Session, today, on the theme - ‘Developing Synergies in the South: Trade, Technology, Tourism, Resources’. Hon’ble Ministers from 13 countries, namely, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Haiti, Malaysia, Myanmar, South Sudan, Timor Leste, and Zimbabwe, participated in the Session.Delivering his opening remarks, the Minister called upon countries of Global South to forge new partnerships and mechanisms so that the voice of the Global South is reflected on the decision-making table. The Minister said the objective of the Summit is to pay attention to the issues pertaining to the Global South and those issues before key global forums like G20, the UN and other multilateral settings. Touching upon the theme of the Session, Shri Goyal said these are the key pillars for development of the countries of the South.