India and Argentina: A Partnership Evolve

India and Argentina have come a long way together, sharing common values and traditions of democracy, each possessing historical cultural identity. Though separated by the Indian and the Atlantic oceans physically, the people of both the nations have mutual respect and a sense of fraternity for each other. The two nations have come together in number of sectors, strengthening the bonds of friendship and mutual assistance.

Before we proceed further, let us have an idea about Argentina. The country is somewhat smaller to India in size and much smaller in terms of population. Argentina is the second largest country in South America (a.k.a Latin America in cultural terms) and the 8th largest in the world. The dance form, Tango, originated in Argentina and the country is also obsessed with football (not rugby), though the national sport is ‘Pato’. No wonder Diego Maradona is seen as a God by the Agentinians. The highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere (Mt. Aconcagua: 22,837 feet) and the lowest point too (Laguna del Carbon: -344 feet) are in Argentina. Most of the Argentinians currently trace back their roots to Europe. Argentina has 11 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the picturesque Iguazu Falls being one of them on the Argentina-Brazil border. The Andes Mountain chain forms a natural 5,142 km border between Argentina and Chile. Argentina has a Presidential system of government. Spanish is the official language, while English occupies the second place. The population is around 50 million and the population density is 16.7 people per square km. The port city, Buenos Aires, is the capital of Argentina and the most populous city in the country.

Insofar the economy of Argentina is concerned, Argentina is a member of MERCOSUR (founded 1991) or the Southern Common Market, a trading bloc focused on free trade and economic cooperation among the Member States. Argentina, is thus, a gateway to a market of nearly USD 300 million. Argentina is also a member of G-20, WTO and Prosur. Agriculture, forestry, mining, fisheries, automobiles, manufacturing and construction dominate Argentina’s GDP. Despite being rich in minerals, agriculture etc., about 30% of the people are below the Poverty Line. Foreign Reserves are low, about USD 26 billion. Brazil is the main trading partner, both for exports and imports and with which Argentina shares a land border. China, the European Union, USA, Chile, Peru and India are the other major trading partners. In 2024, exports from Argentina were valued at nearly USD 80 billion, Argentina enjoying a trade surplus of nearly USD 19 billion.

India and Argentina established diplomatic relations soon after India attained Independence from the British rule in 1947. The Indian Embassy was opened in Buenos Aires in 1949 and the Argentinian Embassy in New Delhi in 1950. On 03 February 2024, both countries celebrated 75 years of Diplomatic Relations. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited Argentina in 1968 and President Giani Zail Singh in 1984. The Indian Prime Minister, Narender Modi, visited Buenos Aires on 05 July 2025, the second visit by an Indian Prime Minister in 57 years.

There have been a number of State level visits from Argentina to India, President Arturo Frondizi visited India in December 1961, President Renaldo Begnone in 1983 for the NAM Summit, President Raul Alfonsin was the Chief Guest on India’s Republic Day in 1985, President Carlos Menem in March 1994, President Christina Fernandez de Kirchner in March 2009 for the G-15 Summit, President Mauricio Macri in February 2019 when the diplomatic relations were elevated to Strategic Partnership and President Fernandez in September 2023 for the G20 Summit.

Besides, there have been several meetings with the Indian and Argentinian Ministers and top Officials on the sidelines of various International Forums such the Munich Security Dialogue, G-20, G-7, Raisina Dialogue etc. as also visits from both the nations. There have been 7 Meetings of the India-Argentina Joint Commission and 7 rounds of Foreign Office Consultations. There exists the Joint Trade Committee, ISRO-CONAE Joint Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, Joint Working Group on Agricultural Cooperation and Joint Coordination Committee on Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy. An Indian Army expedition participated in the first Joint Mountaineering Expedition to climb Mt. Aconcagua in February 2025.

India and Argentina have a signed several Agreements and Memorandum of Understanding since 1968, totaling 41. These include cooperation in diverse sectors such as Defense, Social Security, Mineral resources, Tourism, Standardization of Drugs, Antarctica, Agriculture, Agroindustry, Information and Communication Technology and Electronics, Nuclear Energy, Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Science and Technology, Taxation, Customs, Outer Space, Geology, Sports, Trade Promotion and Technology Transfer, Scientific and Industrial Research.

India-Argentina bilateral trade more than doubled in three years from 2019 to 2022, reaching USD 6.4 billion in 2022. In 2010 and 2022, India was Argentina’s 4th largest trading partner, both the countries having all the possibilities to reach a much higher level/volume of trade. With improved weather and economic conditions, the bilateral trade, after a lull in 2023, reach USD 5.2 billion in 2024. The major items of export from India are petroleum oils, agrochemicals, textile products from fabric other than garments, organic chemicals, drugs and two-wheelers. The major items of import from Argentina are Vegetable Oils (Soyabean and Sunflower), finished leather products, pulses, residual chemical and allied products etc.

India has played a modest role towards capacity building of Argentine nationals. The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Program instituted in 1964 currently offers 300+ courses and 12,000 + scholarships in both the civilian and the defense sectors. More than 160 countries have participated so far. India has trained over 300 persons from Argentina. 4 Argentinian personnel have been trained at Indian Space and Research Organization (ISRO) and 2 at Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur in the field of Space. 8 young politicians cutting across party lines participated in Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR)’s Gen-Next Democracy Program, 10 journalists from Argentina visited India under the External Publicity Division’s Familiarization Program, 11 Argentine diplomats attended the Professional Courses for Foreign Diplomats and 5 Argentine diplomats attended the Annual Disarmament and International Security Affairs Fellowship Program conducted by Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service. With the support of India’s ISRO, Argentina’s first satellite was launched in 2007.

There has been growing presence of Indian companies in Argentina. Currently, the Indian companies have an investment of over USD 1.2 billion. The Indian companies include Mphasis, TCS, Comviva, Hero Motors, Glenmark, Godrej, UPL, Advanta Seeds, Bajaj Motorcycles, TVS, Royal Enfield, Sri Sri Tatva. Argentinian investment stands at USD 120 million having the presence of Globant and OLX in IT services and TECHINT in the engineering sector. Besides this, Agreements have been signed between Indian and Argentinian companies in the Oil and gas sector, acquisition of lithium resources, defense, nuclear energy, mining etc.

To boost the bilateral trade, the India-Argentina Business Council (IABC) was formed on 14 October 2020. The Council is a non-profit organization involving industries, exporters and importers from about 30 entities. The Council organized the first Business Forum on 25 March 2021. Business Summits, Business events and Road shows have been organized. There are interactions between FICCI, CII, FIEO, PHDCCI and ESC and various Business Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Business Associations etc. of Argentina for organization of exhibitions, Buyer-Seller Meets etc. Coffee, Banking, Handicrafts, Electronics and Software, Chemicals and Allied products are the prominent areas of interest. There is active collaboration between the Think Tanks of both nations. CARI is the largest Think Tank in Argentina.

The India-Argentina Centre of Excellence (IA-CEIT) in the IT sector was set up with the assistance of Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) of India and handed over to the National University of Hurlington in December 2024.

Indian culture has an impact with the Argentinian people. There is visible interest in the field of Yoga, Meditation, Philosophy, Spiritualism, Dance and Music. Major religious/spiritual organizations like the Art of Living, Brahmkumaris, Rama Krishna Mission, Sri Sathya Sai Baba, ISKCON etc. have substantial followers in Argentina. India Tourism is promoted through organization of ‘India Days’ and ‘India Weeks’ in major cities of Argentina. The International Day of Yoga (IDY) is being celebrated with enthusiasm both in Buenos Aires and the provinces of Argentina, ever since its beginning following the adoption of the resolution at the UN in 2014 through a vote supported by a record 175 Member States. Yoga training projects have been conducted for the Argentine Federal Police, Buenos Aires City Police and Buenos Aires Provincial Police.

Gandhi@150 celebrations were held in Buenos Aires on 02 October 2020 with the participation of the Foreign Minister of Argentina. The 160th Birth Anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore witnessed a special event in 2021. Tagore’s Birth Anniversary is celebrated every year at Tagore’s bust installed in 2019 at Parque Rosewall (Rose Park), Buenos Aires. A centennial event was held on 06 November 2024 regarding Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s to commemorate his arrival in Argentina way back in 1924. Ayurveda Day is being celebrated each year to promote the Ayurveda’s holistic approach to good health and wellness. Ms Victoria Ocampo was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in 1968 by the Vishwa Bharti University and handed over by the then Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. Mr. Raul Prebisch, an economist, was conferred the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding in 1974. Ms Maria Rene Cura, an Argentine writer, was awarded Padma Shri in 1984 for work in Indology. Dr. Fernando Tola received the Presidential Award of Certificate of Honour for the cause of Sanskrit in 2016.

For those visiting Argentina from India, there should not be much problem with the India food. There are about 11 Indian restaurants in the capital city of Buenos Aires and some others especially in Mendoza and Tigre. As the population of NRIs/PIOs in Argentina, mostly comprising professionals working with Indian companies, hovers around 2,500, the presence of a number Indian restaurants is an eloquent testimony about the popularity of Indian cuisine among the Argentinians. There are migrants from India settled for the past 3-4 generations in the provinces of Salta and Jujuy.

With the current political and economic scenario of the world, it is high time that India and Argentina fast track their people-to-people contact, trade ties, cooperation and assistance in many fields, leveraging their respective competencies. Much scope for cooperation exists in agriculture, defense, space, health, banking, pharmaceuticals, use of drones, IT, advanced technologies etc. India looks forward to supply of lithium and rare earth elements. Argentina is endowed with the world’s second largest shale gas and fourth largest shale oil reserves along with substantial conventional oil and gas reserves and hence can play an important role in India’s energy requirements. Argentina can join the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) as the mankind looks towards the ecological balance for survival in future. Argentina can look forward to cooperation in startups as India has the third largest startup ecosystem in the world. With the world facing new challenges in trade and finance, it is time that India and Argentina should be supportive of each other for a better economic future. The path has been laid out and reinforced time and again for the past more than 7 decades. We just need to strengthen it, making is fruitful for both nations. A win-win situation is a strong possibility. Need I say more.