Embassy of India

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Embassy of India

(Buenos Aires)

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India-Paraguay Bilateral Relations

Political Relations

The Embassy of India in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is concurrently accredited to Paraguay. Diplomatic relations between India and Paraguay were established in 1961. Relations between India and Paraguay are cordial and friendly. Mr. Rodolfo Javier Zuccolillo has been appointed as India’s Honorary Consul in Asuncion. The Embassy of Paraguay in India was officially opened in March 2006. Apart from the Embassy in New Delhi, Paraguay has Honorary Consulates in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. The Embassy of Paraguay in India is also concurrently accredited to Sri Lanka. Ambassador of Paraguay in India Mr. Fleming Raul Duarte Ramos presented his credentials to the President of India on 20 February 2018.

2.         As part of Outreach Programme for Ministers of India, Honorable Minister of State for Coal & Mines, Shri Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary accompanied by the Ambassador Shri Sanjiv Ranjan visited Paraguay from 8-10 May 2018. The Minister met the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Eladio Loizaga in Paraguay and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations between India and Paraguay in a mutually benefited manner.

3.         The first round of Foreign Office Consultations between the two countries was held in October 2010 and second round in August 2015. The Paraguayan delegation to the second round of Foreign Office Consultations was led by its Vice Foreign Minister Mr. Oscar Cabello. Discussions on various issues including trade and investment, agriculture, tourism, technical cooperation, MERCOSUR and UNSC reforms were held during the consultations. Paraguay has been requesting the next round of Foreign Office Consultations may be held in Asuncion at an early date.

4.         In April 2015, Shri R. Swaminathan, then Secretary for Americas, visited Paraguay and called upon the Foreign Minister, Presidential Chief of Protocol, Agriculture and Industry Ministers of Paraguay and discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral co-operation with a special focus on promoting bilateral agro trade.

5.         The then President of Paraguay Mr. Fernando Lugo visited India in May 2012, accompanied by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry and Commerce, and senior officials. It was the first ever visit of the President of Paraguay to India and provided an opportunity to renew engagement with Paraguay and to expand the mutually beneficial relations between the two countries.

Visits

Important Visits from Paraguay to India

2002               Mr. Jose Antonio Moreno Ruffinelli, Foreign Minister

2004               Mrs. Leila Rachid, Foreign Minister

2005               Mrs. Leila Rachid, Foreign Minister

2010               Parliamentary Delegation

2012               Mr. Fernando Lugo Mendez, President

2015               Mr. Oscar Cabello, Vice Foreign Minister

Important Visits from India to Paraguay

2002               Shri Digvijay Singh, MOS, MEA

2003               Shri Satyabrata Mookherjee, MOS, Ministry of Commerce & Industry

2012               Smt Meira Kumar, Speaker, Lok Sabha

2015               Shri R. Swaminathan, Secretary (Americas)

2018               Shri Haribhai  Chaudhary, Minister of State for Coal & Mines

Bilateral Agreements

6.         An Agreement on Exemption of Visa for holders of Diplomatic and Official passports was signed in 1996.

Technical Cooperation and Training

7.         India extends ITEC scholarships to working professionals from Paraguay every year. Paraguayan diplomats attend training courses in the Foreign Service Institute of India from time to time.

Support in Multilateral Fora

8.         India and Paraguay support each other on major international issues as well as India´s candidature to various UN and multilateral bodies.

Commercial Relations

Bilateral Trade (US$ in million)

9.         Bilateral trade for the last 6 years is as follows:

(Source: MERCOSURonline)

India´s Exports to Paraguay

10.       Organic chemicals, vehicles, auto parts, cosmetics, machinery, pharma, plastics, sound and image devices, aluminum, rubber products etc. are the major items of export.

India´s Imports from Paraguay

11.       Major imports include soya oil (94% of imports), sunflower oil, leather and wood. Indian imports of soya and sunflower oil are expected to increase in the coming years, given the growing shortage of edible oil in India. Other imports include resins for cosmetics, ferroalloys and vegetal coal.

Investment, Joint Ventures and Business Delegations

12.       A joint venture plant, CARMENTA, between a Paraguayan firm, LML India and Alok Masterbatches was set up in Paraguay in January 2013 to produce masterbatches (plastic industry). Mahindra distributes its vehicles through a distributorship in Paraguay.

A Pharmexcil delegation comprising40 Pharma companies (mainly producers of generic drugs and traditional / ayurvedic medicines) from India organized Buyer to seller  meetings in Asuncion from 26-29 August 2015. They also met Paraguayan Government officials.

Seminars on “how to do business with India” were organised by the Embassy in collaboration with the Paraguayan Ministry of External Affairs and Paraguayan National Chamber of Commerce in 2012 and 2013.

An eight member CII delegation visited Paraguay during 23-26 September 2012 to explore opportunities for Indian business and investment in Paraguay. The delegation met Paraguayan Minister for Agriculture Mr. Enzo Cardozo, Minister for Tourism, Ms. Liz Cnamer, Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Manuel Maria Caceres, and Minister for Industry and Commerce Mr. Francisco Rivas in Asuncion.

The Embassy organized a business seminar in Asuncion on 8 March 2010 during the visit of an EEPC delegation. Paraguayan Minister of Industries Mr. Don Francisco Rivas was the keynote speaker. The seminar contributed to the Paraguayan understanding of the Indian market and opportunities for business between the two countries

Cultural Relations

            The Embassy organized a Festival of India in 2009 and 2010 in Asuncion and Ciudad del Este. The Paraguayan Tourism Minister was the Chief Guest at the Festival. The Embassy also organized a 5-day Food Festival of India in Paraguay in September 2013 and 10 days in November 2014 in collaboration with ITDC, Ministry of Tourism. The event was attended by Paraguay Foreign Ministry officials and eminent local business persons. The Third International Day of Yoga was celebrated in Asuncion in collaboration with local yoga schools and Ministry of Sports of Paraguay on 17 June 2017. The Fourth International Day of Yoga was celebrated in Asuncion in collaboration with local yoga schools on 24 June 2018.

Indian Community

            About 600 Indians live in Paraguay, mainly in Ciudad del Este, a city in the south-east of Paraguay on the border with Brazil and Argentina. Roughly 200 of them are NRIs and the remaining are PIOs who are in trading, wholesale and retail business. Most of them are of Gujarati and Sindhi origin. For the first time, a consular camp was organized at Ciudad del Este on 23 March 2018.

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November 2018