The Economic Times - Mumbai, Friday, May 24, 2019; Section: Argentina, Page: 17
As Argentina celebrates 209 years of freedom, President Mauricio Macri shares an insight in to its 70 years of strategic partnership with India
Two hundred and nine years ago, the people of Argentina walked into the path to freedom. On May 25th, 1810, our first national Government was born. Independence was declared in the province of Tucumán in 1816 and more than half a century went by since the May Revolution to achieve our definitive national organisation.
The nation forged a unique identity thanks to the contribution of millions of immigrants from Europe, Latin America and other regions, who blended with criollos and indigenous peoples giving shape to our culture, thereby creating as a result a peaceful, welcoming and open community.
As a product of the first wave of decolonization, Argentina followed with sympathy the struggles of other colonized nations. Many of XIX century Argentine leading intellectuals travelled all over India; there were not only fascinated by the richness of its civilization but also attested its potential as a modern nation. In turn, Indian authors such as Rabindranath Tagore were well received as part of our own culture.
After the Indian independence both countries established diplomatic relations in 1949. Since then, our countries have shared a common struggle for development, peace, and democracy. This 70th anniversary of our diplomatic relationship is proof of our common embrace of values such as democracy, pluralism, and the shared belief in economic development as the key for a better future for our people. Our G20 Presidency during 2018 bore witness of our common understandings and we are committed to work closely with India for a successful G20 Summit in 2022, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence.
During my State Visit to India in February this year, the first high-level one in the last ten years, our Governments signaled their commitment towards a deeper and wider relationship. India Prime Minister and I agreed to take our multifaceted cooperation a step ahead, by establishing a Strategic Partnership with focus on key areas, and signed ten agreements to strengthen our potential in fields such as agrotechnology, food security, mining, science, pharma, energy security, peaceful uses of nuclear energy and of outer space technologies, ICT, defense cooperation, and cultural and academic exchanges. We will also continue to work hard in order to provide better and new market access for products in which our economies excel.
Our countries initiated in 2017 a close and auspicious link in technical cooperation, mainly with regards to Food Security. Furthermore, in the framework of the bilateral Agreement on Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy, we celebrated the meeting of both nuclear sectors to explore potential areas of cooperation.
India Prime Minister and I also agreed to further step up our economic partnership, in consonance with the common opportunities and potential offered by the respective economies. We are committed to widen and diversify our bilateral trade and ease our investment environment to promote new business opportunities.
The Argentine and Indian private sectors have welcomed and joined us with energy in this endeavor. During my visit I met the CEOs of the main Indian companies to discuss new opportunities for investment in our country. I was also accompanied by 70 Argentine companies which had over a thousand productive B2B meetings with 200 Indian enterprises in Mumbai and in Delhi.
Argentina and India have an excellent relationship that has matured into a strategic partnership. In the context of this new anniversary of Argentina’s first national Government, I take the occasion to renew our call to further advance our common economic and trade agenda. The common values that both countries share are a beacon that will guide our relationship to new heights for the concrete benefit of our people.
