Washington, Feb 25 (IANS): Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao appreciated the very constructive role played by the Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG) in strengthening India-US commercial ties and stressed the continued need to focus on the "big picture" of the bilateral relationship.

The Ministerial Trade Policy Forum (TPF) is an important platform to consider PSAG's "detailed and progressive recommendations" recommendations on strengthening overall bilateral trade and commercial cooperation, she told a US delegation of the group Wednesday.

"Ambassador appreciated the very constructive role that the PSAG has been playing in strengthening the TPF process through its detailed and progressive recommendations," according to an Indian embassy release.

"She emphasized that there was a continued need to focus on the big picture of the relationship" and expressed the hope that the TPF, an institutional arrangement between Indian and US governments to discuss trade and investment issues, would hold its next meeting soon, it said.

The PSAG was created to provide strategic direction to the TPF as the United States and India chart a path for enhanced US-Indian economic integration in the next five to ten years. The PSAG's membership includes key voices in the United States and India on international economic and trade policy.

The US delegation led by its Co-Chair Fred Bergsten, briefed the Ambassador on PSAG's activities on the follow up implementation of its last report submitted to the TPF leadership in January, 2011 and shared its thoughts on advancing bilateral trade and economic engagement to the next level.

The US delegation included Robert Vastine, President of the Coalition of Service Industries, Ron Somers, President of the US India Business Council, Charlene Barshefsky, former Deputy US Trade Representattive, Arvind Subramanian, Peterson Institute of International Economics and Anku Nath of USIBC.