India, Mexico need to look at relaxing visa norms: Com Secy

India and Mexico need to look at ways to relax visa norms for businesses and tourists to enhance economic ties between the two countries, a top government official today said.
"We need to look at the liberalisation of visa norms between the two countries to facilitate the movement of both business visitors and tourists.
"It could be reciprocal or it could be one way. But I think this is something which we need to do because if there are people to people contact, I believe that the business itself will continue to grow," Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia said here at a CII function.

Teaotia was addressing the representatives of CII in the presence of visiting Mexican Foreign Affairs Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu.
Teaotia said if the countries would not work on the visa issues then it would make it difficult for industry and tourists to move to each other countries.
She said that huge trade opportunities exist in both the countries and the current trade figure of USD 6.2 billion "is just a fraction of what we can do".

"We also look forward to visit Mexico in the coming months for the high level working group," she said adding the visit would focus on ways to enhance trade and investment ties between the countries.

"Mexico is the largest silver producer and fourth largest gold producer and "we have an insatiable hunger for both," Teaotia said adding both the sides should to explore and work with industries on both the sides as "why we do not do direct trade in precious metals and in other minerals which India needs and which Mexcio wants to sell".
She said that the high level group on the trade investment and economic cooperation, which was set up in 2007, met last in 2012 and "it is a too long a gap".
She added in sectors like tourism, services, pharmaceuticals, petroleum and automobiles, both the sides can enhance cooperation.

Speaking at the occasion, Massieu invited the Indian businesses to invest in Mexico in areas like energy and telecommunication.
"India has the opportunity to sell goods like consumer goods. It has huge demand in Mexico," the Mexican Minister said adding her country has take several steps to facilitate foreign investments.
"We value you business and investment and we welcome you for that," she added.