Abu Dhabi, Sept. 19 -- Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Friday said that India is in the advanced stage of negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Oman, and is surely open to similar trade partnerships with other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

Speaking to the media during his visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where the Minister attended the 13th meeting of the UAE-India High-Level Joint Task Force on Investments, he said, "As of now, we are at an advanced stage of dialogue with Oman (on FTA), which should conclude soon. Some of the other countries have expressed an interest. Surely we are open to free trade agreements with other GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries."

The GCC, comprising...