Argentine foreign minister concludes trade visit to India

New Delhi, Apr 27 (EFE).- Argentina’s foreign minister Santiago Cafiero on Wednesday concluded a four-day official visit to India focused on boosting trade between the two countries and cooperation in technologies for establishing defense and aerospace projects.

Cafiero ended his trip on Wednesday with multiple meetings in India’s financial capital Mumbai, where he was set to inaugurate a radioisotope production plant being built in collaboration with Argentine state-owned company Invap and meet representatives of the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Bilateral trade between the two countries has jumped by 70 percent recently and could grow further through “potentialities in sectors such as knowledge economy, technology, mining and food,” Cafiero said as per a statement released by the Argentine foreign ministry.

The minister had arrived in New Delhi during the weekend aiming to boost trade ties through signing new projects and bilateral agreements.

Argentina, the largest soybean oil exporter to India, also began negotiations to export sunflower oil, while New Delhi expressed interest in investing in lithium and the technology sector in the South American country.

The Argentine top diplomat told EFE that “although a large part of the trade consists of raw material, other export propositions linked with technology transfer have also begun to grow in size for both India and Argentina.”

The Argentine mission in India also seeks to discuss the different cultural and educational aspects that connect the two countries, apart from the south-south political exchanges that have helped the South Asian nation progress into an emerging economy, Cafiero said.

In this regard, the two sides agreed to establish a Center of Excellence in Information Technology in Buenos Aires, which will be funded by the Indian government and is set to function as an “incubator of high-tech projects of both countries,” the Argentine foreign ministry said. EFE

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