New Delhi, Nov. 3 -- India and Bahrain took a major step forward in their economic partnership by agreeing to advance talks on a Bilateral Investment Treaty and begin negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

The discussions were held on Monday during the Fifth High Joint Commission (HJC) meeting held in New Delhi, co-chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Bahrain counterpart Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani. "It was agreed that the sixth HJC would be held in Bahrain. The dates would be finalised through diplomatic channels," according to a release from the Ministry of External Affairs.

Discussions covered the progress made towards setting up a Joint Working Group on Trade and Investment an...