Commerce Secretary meets WTO chief in Geneva ahead of MC14

Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal on Friday held meetings with WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in Geneva and discussed issues pertaining to the forthcoming ministerial conference in Cameroon. The 14th ministerial conference (MC14) is scheduled at Yaounde, Cameroon, from March 26-29 this year. The conference is the highest decision-making body of the 166-member World Trade Organization (WTO). ''Discussed key priorities for making MC14 a positive, balanced and inclusive Ministerial. Highlighted India's continued commitment towards constructive engagement with WTO Members for strengthening rules based MTS (multi-lateral trading system),'' said a social media post by the Permanent Mission of India at WTO, Geneva. The Commerce Secretary also met with Permanent Representatives and Ambassadors of various developing countries and discussed key issues in the context of MC14. This was the first official engagement of Agrawal with WTO chief in Geneva after becoming commerce secretary. Besides monitoring global exports and imports, WTO adjudicates trade disputes among member countries.