In News:

• Prime Minister Modi held a bilateral meeting with Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez here on the sidelines of the G7 Summit.
• This was the first bilateral meeting between the two leaders. They reviewed progress in implementing the bilateral Strategic Partnership established in 2019.

What’s in Today’s Article:

• India – Argentina Bilateral relation

India – Argentina Relation

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.
• 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.

Economic and Commercial Relations

• Bilateral Trade
  • 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.
    • 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.
• Investments and Joint Ventures
  • Several Indian companies have established operations in Argentina with a total investment of over USD 1 billion.
  • Argentina’s investment in India stands at approximately USD 120 million.
  • A new assembly line of Royal Enfield was inaugurated by President Alberto Fernandez in September 2020 in Buenos Aires Province.
    • This marked 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
  • A bilateral business chamber, ‘India-Argentina Business Council (IABC)’ was formally launched in October 2020.

Technical and Development Co-operation

• India extends between 40 and 45 Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) scholarships to working professionals from Argentina every year.
• 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.

Cultural Relations and People-to-People Contact

• Foreign Minister Felipe Solá participated in the conclusion of the Gandi@150 celebrations in Buenos Aires on 02 October 2020
• 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.
• The Indian Embassy has been organizing cultural programmes, including ‘India Weeks’ and ‘India Days’ in prominent cities and provinces of Argentina.
• As part of celebrations of 160th birth anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, the Mission published a book titled “Rabindranath Tagore: Visiones desde America Latina”.
  • It was published in collaboration with CARI (Argentine Council for International Relations), the largest Argentine think tank.
  • 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.

Indian Community

• There are around 2600 NRIs / PIOs in Argentina.
• In the absence of Vande Bharat Mission (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.