Embassy
of India
Buenos Aires
*****
BRIEF ON INDIA-ARGENTINA BILATERAL
RELATIONS
Political Relations
India-Argentina relations were elevated to the level of
Strategic Partnership during the State Visit to India of President of Argentina
in February 2019. Multi-faceted relations between the two countries have
strengthened over the years and encompass political, economic, cultural and
scientific & technological cooperation. India opened a Trade Commission in
Buenos Aires in 1943, which was later converted into one of the first Embassies
of India in South America in 1949. Argentina had established a Consulate in
Calcutta in the 1920s, which was transferred to Delhi as an Embassy in 1950.
Argentina opened a Consulate General in Mumbai in April 2009.
Bilateral Exchanges
2.
There
have been exchanges at the highest level between the two countries. The last
State Visit from Argentina to India was by President Mr. Mauricio Macri in
February 2019. Earlier, President Ms. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner paid a
State Visit in 2009. From India, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited
Buenos Aires to attend G20 Summit in November 2018. Earlier, President Giani
Zail Singh paid a State Visit to Argentina in 1984.
3.
External
Affairs Minister (EAM), Dr. S. Jaishankar met the then Argentine Foreign
Minister (FM) Mr. Felipe Solá on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’
Meeting at Matera, Italy, on 30 June 2021.
The two Ministers earlier had a telephonic conversation on 5 May 2020.
EAM also had a telephonic conversation with the Foreign
Minister Santiago Cafiero on 14 January 2022 and met him on 24 April 2022 in
Delhi, during his visit to India to participate in the Raisina Dialogue 2022. Minister of State
for External Affairs Shri V Muraleedharan paid a bilateral visit and held
meetings with the then Argentine Foreign Minister and Vice Foreign Minister in
Buenos Aires on 29 August 2019.
4.
Minister of
Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar held a video conference (VC) with Minister of Agriculture,
Livestock and Fisheries of Argentina on 20 November 2020. Minister of Social
Justice and Empowerment Shri Thawar Chand Gehlot visited Argentina to participate in the Second Global
Disability Summit
at Buenos Aires and attended bilateral meetings from 6-8 June 2019. Delegations
led by Dr. V. K. Saraswat, Member, NITI
Aayog, in October 2019 and Mr. Shri Alok Tandon, Secretary Mines, in August-September
2021 visited Buenos Aires and the Provinces of Salta, Jujuy and Catamarca for
exploration of partnerships in the mining sector.
5.
From the
Argentine side, Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero visited
India from 24-28 April 2022 to participate in the Raisina Dialogue 2022 and met
External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar and Commerce and Industry
Minister, Mr. Piyush Goyal. The then, Vice
President of Argentina Ms. Gabriela Michetti visited India and met with the
Vice President of India and Secretary, Social Justice and Empowerment on 12
March 2019.
6.
Various
mechanisms of institutional bilateral dialogue have been reinvigorated in the
recent past. The sixth round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) was held in
Delhi on 24 November 2021. The third meeting of the India-Argentina Joint Trade
Committee (JTC) took place after a gap of 29 years on 20 October 2020 via VC.
The second meeting of the ISRO-CONAE (Argentine Space Agency) Joint Committee
formed under the Agreement on cooperation on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
between India and Argentina signed in 2009, was convened on 2 December 2020
through VC. The first meeting of the Joint Working Group on Agricultural
Cooperation between India and Argentina was held on 1 July 2020 via VC. The 5th
India-Argentina JCM meeting was held in New Delhi on 14 January 2019.
Economic and Commercial Relations
Bilateral Trade
7.
The India-Argentina bilateral trade registered
a historic peak of USD 5.7 billion in the year 2021, with a growth rate of 72% over
2020, with USD 1.4 billion worth of exports from India to Argentina and USD 4.3
billion worth of imports by India from Argentina. India became 4th largest
trading partner of Argentina in 2021. (Source:
Argentine official statistical agency, INDEC). As per DGFT, India-Argentina
bilateral trade during the fiscal year 2021-22 was USD 5.63 billion (an increase
of 70.1% over 2020-21), with India’s exports to Argentina valued at USD 1.43 billion
registering a growth of 107.3% over exports in 2020-21 and Argentina’s exports
to India valued at USD 4.20 billion.
8.
Major items of
India’s exports to Argentina include petroleum
oils, agro chemicals, yarn-fabric-madeups, organic chemicals, bulk drugs and two-wheelers. Major
items of India’s imports from Argentina include
vegetable oils (soya bean and sunflower),
finished leather, cereals, residual chemicals and allied products and pulses.
Investments and
Joint Ventures
9.
Several
Indian companies have established operations in Argentina with a total
investment of over USD 1 billion. These include TCS, Mahindra Comviva, Infosys, AEGIS-Essar, Crisil, UPL, Bajaj
Motorcycles, CEAT, TVS, Royal Enfield, Hero, Glenmark, Godrej and Sri Sri Tattva. Argentina’s investment in India stands at approximately USD 120 million.
Argentine companies with presence in India include Globant and OLX in IT
services and TECHINT in the
manufacturing sector.
10.
A
new assembly line of Royal Enfield was inaugurated by President Alberto Fernandez
on 9 September 2020 at the production facility of SIMPA Group in Buenos Aires
Province. This marks the first time in the 119 years’ history of Royal Enfield
that their bikes would be manufactured outside their own plants.
India-Argentina Business Council
11.
A bilateral business chamber, ‘India-Argentina
Business Council (IABC)’ was formally launched on 14 October 2020 by Ambassador
Dinesh Bhatia and the Minister of Productive Development of Argentina, Dr.
Matías Kulfas. The Council, conceptualized as a non-profit organization
comprising leading investors, exporters and importers between the two countries,
is currently composed of over 30 companies, and it is envisaged that the
membership of the Council will further increase in due course.
12.
The Council, together with the Indian Mission
in Buenos Aires, organized the first ‘India-Argentina Business Forum’ on 25
March 2021, which saw participation by the Argentine Minister of Productive Development
and Secretary of International Economic Relations in the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, International Trade and Worship, along with a host of businesspersons
from both sides.
Trade
and Investment Promotion Events
13.
There
have been regular exchange of visits and engagements between the two countries
including participation of Government officials and businessmen in events
organized by Governments; focused events by trade and export promotion
agencies; delegation level visits in specific sectors; sector specific
exhibitions, buyer-seller meets and B2B meetings.
14.
Through effective use of
technology to overcome geographical distances and travel restrictions imposed
in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian Embassy organized, coordinated
and participated in several videoconferences/events aimed at boosting bilateral
trade with Argentina in 2021. These included, series of conferences in the
Lithium sector for Indian companies like KABIL, GFL with YPF, Camyen, Galen,
Integra, etc.; RITES and TRENES Argentina; Exim Bank and Argentine Banks; Coffee
promotion events; BSM among member of Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts
and its Argentine counterparts; BSM among members of Electronics & Software
Council of India and CESSI (Argentine Chamber of Software Exports); BSM among members
of Chemical and Allied Products Export Council of (CAPEXIL) and its Argentine counterparts;
FICCI organized India – LAC cooperation in Education; ICC organized event on Digital
healthcare, PHDCI organized SME event; and meetings for NPCI International
Payments Limited (NIPL) with Central Bank, Argentine Mint and Fintechs.
Cultural Relations and
People-to-People Contact
15.
The
admiration for and impact of Indian culture, yoga, meditation, philosophy,
spiritualism, dance and music in Argentina perhaps transcends that in any other
country. Indian organisations such as Brahmakumari,
Art of Living, Rama Krishna Mission,
Sivananda Yoga and ISKCON have
extraordinary followings.
16.
FM Felipe Solá participated in the
conclusion of the Gandi@150 celebrations in Buenos Aires on 02 October 2020.
Further, President Alberto Fernández addressed a letter to Prime Minister of
India on the occasion. The Embassy also celebrated a “Gandhi Week” via social
media, which included a virtual discourse “Gandhi Katha: A Story of Mahatma
Gandhi”, by Dr. Shobhana Radhakrishna. Earlier, on 2 October 2019, the then
Vice President Ms. Gabriela Michetti, was the Chief Guest at main function held
at the Embassy of India in Buenos Aires to celebrate Gandhi@150.
17.
The
Indian Embassy has been organizing cultural programmes, including ‘India Weeks’
and ‘India Days’ in prominent cities and provinces of Argentina. India tourism
promotion activities are periodically held in the capital city and provinces of
Argentina in collaboration with India Tourism Office.
18.
All
seven editions of the International Day of Yoga to date have seen large-scale
enthusiastic participation in Buenos Aires, as well as almost all provinces of
the country, and have been attended by local dignitaries. In view of pandemic-related
restrictions, International
Day of Yoga was organized virtually through Mission’s social media as well as specially
created website www.diadelyoga.com.ar
under the slogan “Yoga at home” in
2020 and “Yoga for wellness” in 2021. Several top Argentine celebrities
shared their experience and the benefits of yoga in times of quarantine in the
telecasts. The event online stream in 2020 received nearly 40,000 visitors, and
in 2021, over 56,000. Earlier, on 29 November 2018, an event titled ‘Yoga for Peace’ organized by Art of Living, Argentina that was
attended by the Prime Minister of India saw participation by over 6000 people,
with 600 people performing Yoga collectively.
19.
The
Indian Embassy curated an online event titled ‘India and Argentina in the New
World Order: Dialogue among Indian and Argentine Think Tanks’, co-organized
with Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) and Center
for Implementation of Public Policies for Equity and Growth (Spanish acronym:
CIPPEC), held on 6 November 2020. EAM, Dr S Jaishankar and Argentine Foreign Minister,
Mr Felipe Solá, delivered remarks in the Closing Session of the Dialogue.
Spread across five sessions, the Dialogue witnessed participation by several
distinguished members of the think tank community from India and Argentina. The
live stream of the event on various platforms simultaneously in English and
Spanish languages garnered over 1000 viewers from all over the world.
20.
As
part of Ayurveda Day 2021 celebrations, three events were organized by the
Mission with local organisations; with Fundacion Ayurveda Prema, Sri Sri Tattva
and National University of Rosario. An e-book on AYUSH protocols for COVID was
launched in Spanish during the celebration in 2020.
21.
As
part of celebrations of 160th birth anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore,
the Mission published a book titled “Rabindranath Tagore: Visiones desde America
Latina” in collaboration with CARI (Argentine Council for International Relations),
the largest Argentine think tank. The Book was jointly launched on 16 September
2021 by Ambassador and Jose Octavio Bordon, CARI President. Minister of Culture
Tristan Bauer joined Ambassador on 7 May 2021 for floral tributes at Tagore’s
bust, installed in 2019 at Parque Rosedal (Rose Park), Buenos Aires, to mark
this occasion.
22.
Gurudev
Tagore had visited Argentina in 1924
and stayed for two months as the guest of Ms Victoria Ocampo, a well-known
literary personality, writer and feminist. A joint production feature film, Pensando en el (Thinking of Him) on his
visit was the closing film at the International Film Festival of India, Goa in
November 2017.
23.
Ms.
Victoria Ocampo was given an honorary doctorate by the Viswa Bharati University
and this was handed over by Prime Minister Smt Indira Gandhi during her visit
to Argentina in 1968. Ms Maria Rene Cura, an Argentine writer and close
associate of Ms Victoria Ocampo was a renowned Indologist and was awarded the
Padma Shri for her Indology work in 1984. Mr Raul Prebisch, the renowned
Argentine economist was conferred Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International
Understanding in 1974.
24.
In
2015, at the first World Indologists Conference held in Delhi, 100-year-old
Indologist Dr. Fernando Tola represented Argentina and was selected for the
Presidential Award of Certificate of Honour for the year 2016 in recognition of
his outstanding contribution to the cause of Sanskrit.
Technical and Development
Co-operation
25.
India
extends between 40 and 45 Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC)
scholarships to working professionals from Argentina every year. As the
pandemic prevented candidates from joining courses in person in the later part
of 2020-21, 26 Argentines underwent e-ITEC courses. The Professional Courses
for Foreign Diplomats (PCFD) conducted by the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service, MEA have witnessed
participation of 11 Argentine diplomats so far. A MoU has been signed on setting
up of an India-Argentina Center of Excellence in IT in Buenos Aires, and work
is underway for its establishment.
Indian Community
26.
There
are around 2600 NRIs / PIOs in Argentina. Most of the NRIs live in Argentina. Majority
of these live in the capital city of Buenos Aires, including professionals
working with Indian companies and multinational corporations such as TCS, Cognizant Technologies, IBM, J.P.
Morgan, etc. A large number of earlier migrants who have been in Argentina
for 3-4 generations are in provinces of Salta and Jujuy.
27.
In
the absence of VBM flights from the region during the unexpected pandemic
situation, the Mission improvised and managed to repatriate over 130 Indians
accommodating them in several special flights. It involved coordination with
different entities, including Foreign Ministry, National Migrations
Directorate, Ministry of Health, Federal and Provincial Police, Airport
Security Force, Gendarmerie and various provincial governments.
Useful links
Embassy’s website: www.indembarg.gov.in
Facebook: www.facebook.com/IndiaInArgentina
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Indembarg
Instagram: www.instagram/indembarg
*****
10 May 2022
