ASEAN nations have concluded a deal for free trade in goods with India, the bloc's seventh-largest trading partner, ministers said on Thursday.

Singapore's Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang and India's Minister for Commerce and Industry Kamal Nath announced the deal, covering billions of dollars in trade, at a news conference during Asean meetings in Singapore.

Senior officials agreed on the pact earlier this month. It is to be signed at the Association of South-east Asian Nations' Bangkok summit in December.

Mr Nath expressed 'deep satisfaction' at conclusion of the deal, which followed difficult negotiations.

'This is an important milestone for our region,' he said. -- AFP