New Delhi, Oct. 20 -- The US and India are "very, very close" to a trade agreement, with only a small number of items yet to be decided upon, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Tuesday, exuding optimism that the pact would be in place very soon.

"We're very, very close. I would say we're about as close as you can be without having executed the agreement," Rubio told the press in Mumbai. "I think there's a small number of items to wrap up, so I think that will happen shortly - we're hoping; it should."

"Obviously the state department doesn't negotiate trade agreements, but we are very much involved in what's happening," he said.

Rubio described India as an important commercial and business partner of the US, referring to bilatera...