India, Jan. 28 -- India and the European Union (EU) on Tuesday formally concluded negotiations on a long-pending Free Trade Agreement (FTA), hailed by leaders on both sides as the mother-of-all deals. The pact marks a watershed moment in economic ties between the world's fourth-largest and second-largest economies amid rising geopolitical uncertainty, supply-chain realignments and growing protectionism.

The agreement was announced at the 16th India-EU Summit by PM Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, bringing to a close nearly 18 years of negotiations first launched in 2007 and revived in 2022.Describing it as India's largest and most ambitious trade pact, PM Modi said the FTA was "not merely a trade deal...