New Delhi, March 27 (IANS) Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said that WTO reforms must be pursued through a transparent, inclusive and member-driven process, with development at its core, at the ongoing 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Yaounde, Cameroon, an official statement said on Friday.

He also underlined the need to uphold key principles such as non-discrimination, consensus-based decision-making and equity.

On the sidelines of the conference, Goyal met Cameroon Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute and discussed bilateral and multilateral issues, including ways to strengthen India-Cameroon cooperation.

The leaders also held discussions on foundational issues of the WTO, including its core principles.

Goyal held a meeting with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to discuss the MC14 agenda, and separately met his counterparts from the Netherlands, France and Ethiopia to review bilateral trade ties.

Meanwhile, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal held bilateral meetings with counterparts from Chile, Paraguay, the US, Nepal, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Peru, Russia and New Zealand, as well as with a delegation of European Union parliamentarians.

The MC14 of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) commenced in Yaounde on March 26 with a ceremonial session chaired by Cameroon’s Trade Minister, and will conclude on March 29.

The opening session was attended by WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and trade ministers and senior representatives from member countries.

The session was followed by a brief event, marking the entry into force of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.

Discussions focused on the MC14 agenda and opportunities to enhance bilateral trade ties. Talks with Chile and Peru also covered ongoing free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, while engagements with the European Union and New Zealand reviewed progress in respective FTA talks.

India also reiterated that non-discrimination remains a foundational principle of the WTO framework, as reflected in the Marrakesh Agreement. The nation also emphasised the need for a development-centric agenda, including a permanent solution on public stockholding (PSH) for food security, effective Special and Differential Treatment (S&DT) provisions for developing and least developed countries (LDCs), and the restoration of a fully functional dispute settlement mechanism.

--IANS

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