New Delhi, Nov. 28 -- India is hopeful of signing the first tranche of the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement within the current calendar year, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal said on Friday.

Addressing the FICCI Annual General Meeting, he indicated that talks have progressed substantially despite recent shifts in global trade conditions.

Reflecting on the negotiations done so far, the Secretary said, "I think our expectations, we are very optimistic and very hopeful that we should find a solution within this calendar year."

The Commerce Secretary cautioned, however, that trade negotiations are unpredictable, noting that "with any trade negotiations, the final deadlines cannot be because even if there is one sticking point or one sti...