'Government committed to promoting business ties with nations'

The Indian government is committed to promoting close economic and trade ties with other countries, a top official said here on Saturday.

Secretary (Economic Relations & Development Partnership Administration) in the external affairs ministry, Sujata Mehta, addressing diplomats at a meet, said the government is pursuing an expansion of economic activities at the level of policy and practice and is doing everything to promote business.

Addressing the 24th Ambassadors' Meet organized by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry here, Mehta said that diplomacy nowadays has a lot to do with economic diplomacy and the government places very high value on partnerships being forged with business and industry.

She said that such meets organized by the business chambers where diplomats could mingle with the Indian businesspersons at an informal level were good.

Mehta stepped in in place of Minister of State for External Affairs Gen. V.K. Singh (retd.), who could not make it to the event.

PHD Chamber president Alok B. Shriram said that the Ambassadors' Meet is an annual flagship event of the chamber which it has been organizing since 1991 to bring the diplomatic and business communities together for an interaction.