Anand Sharma to meet USTR and DG WTO in Davos

Sharma will meet the US Trade Representative Michael Froman and the Director General of WTO, Roberto Azevedo

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma has left for Davos, Switzerland, to attend World Economic Forum Annual (WEF) meeting.

During his visit, Sharma will meet the U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and the Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Roberto Azevedo.

These meetings assume significance as leaders are meeting for the first time after the important deal in Bali WTO Ministerial.

Among the important bilateral meetings, Sharma will be meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Emma Bonino, Dutch Foreign Minister Lilianne Ploumen, Karel De Gucht, European Commissioner for Trade; Andrew Robb, Australian Trade and Investment Minister; Johann Schenider-Amman, Federal Councillor, Switzerland and Dr Philipp Rosler, MD, WEF's Centre for Regional Strategies and Governmental Relations.

Sharma will meet key global CEOs' from defence, retail, oil and other sectors. He will meet, among others, Dev Sanyal, Executive Vice President nad Group Chief of Staff BP, Plc; Ivan Menezes, Chief Executive, DIAGEO; Frans Van Houten, President and CEO, Royal Phillips; Simon Henry, Global Chief Financial Officer, Shell and Harish Manwani, Global Chief Operating Officer, Unilever.

He will attend sessions on 'The Manufacturing Context' where he will put forward the recent decisions in India to promote manufacturing, including the decisions taken in the Cabinet and Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Monday.

He will also participate in Investment Roundtable and a session titled Informal Gathering of World Economic Leaders-The Reshaping of the World: Defining the imperatives for 2014.