WTO Director General Roberto Azevedo today said discussions at the two-day informal mini-ministerial meeting beginning here will be useful for carrying forward the mandate of the multilateral trade body.
India is hosting an informal mini-ministerial meeting of the members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which is being attended by representatives of 50 countries.
Although the meeting does not have a fixed agenda, it assumes significance against the backdrop of increase in duties on steel and aluminium by the US administration and Washington dragging India to the WTO against export incentive programmes.
"We are facing many challenges in the WTO and outside. Trade environment globally is very risky at this point of time. We will try to have an open and honest conversation at the informal WTO meeting here," Azevedo told reporters.
He said that the outcome of the meeting here will be "useful to the conversations that we will be having in Geneva to try and move forward on all the items."
The WTO chief would also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other ministers.
"We have very significant challenges before us. We have the dispute settlement system compromised by a blockage in the appointment of appellate members and this will be the focus of conversations in New Delhi," he added.
The commerce ministry has stated that the meeting will provide an opportunity to engage in free and frank discussions with the hope that it will lead to political guidance on some major issues.
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