Buenos Aires, July 5: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday began his historic visit to Argentina by paying respects at the statue of General Jose de San Martin, the country's revered freedom fighter and national hero, in Buenos Aires.

PM Modi laid a wreath and paid his respect at the San Martin Memorial, beginning the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the South American nation in the last 57 years.

General Jose de San Martin is recognised as the liberator of Argentina and the monument was created in 1862 by French sculptor Louis Joseph Daumas. It was the first equestrian statue in Buenos Aires.

San Martín led crucial moments in Argentina's fight for independence between 1813 and 1818, defeating Spanish troops at the Battle of San Lorenzo, reorganising the Army of the North, becoming Governor of Cuyo and creating the Army of the Andes, which he led across the mountains into Chile to liberate the neighbouring country from Spanish rule, before moving north to liberate Peru in 1820.

Later, Prime Minister Modi was warmly received by Argentina's President Javier Milei at the historic Casa Rosada as the two leaders began bilateral engagements.

PM Modi arrived in Argentina early Saturday on the third leg of his five-nation tour, following visits to Ghana and Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), earlier in the week. It will be followed by Brazil (July 5-8) and Namibia (July 9).

The Prime Minister was accorded a ceremonial welcome ahead of the delegation-level talks. It will be followed by a lunch hosted by President Milei in honour of the PM.

Argentina is a strategic partner of India since 2019, and the two countries celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations last year.

The visit to Argentina comes at a particularly significant time as Argentina is undertaking major economic reforms somewhat similar to those India went through in the past, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) noted ahead of the historic visit.

Both leaders are expected to discuss subjects of economic and trade interest to further strengthen bilateral relations.

"India's advancements in defence manufacturing, in the space sector, in new areas such as information technology and DPI can offer valuable expertise and we can share experiences with Argentina. Our expertise in Telemedicine and Digital healthcare solutions are also an offer for Argentina in expanding access to medical services and improving overall quality and cost-effective healthcare delivery," said MEA Secretary (East) P. Kumaran while addressing a special media briefing ahead of the PM's visit.

Both leaders are scheduled to review ongoing cooperation and discuss ways to further enhance India-Argentina partnership in key areas including defence, agriculture, mining, oil and gas, renewable energy, trade and investment, and people-to-people ties.

India and Argentina have significantly advanced bilateral cooperation in the mineral resources sector, particularly in lithium — a critical input for India's green energy transition. An MOU on cooperation in the field of mineral resources was signed in August 2022 between India and Argentina. The first meeting of the Joint Working Group under the MOU was held in January 2025.

"Argentina holds the world's second largest shale gas reserves and the fourth largest shale oil reserves along with of course substantial conventional oil and gas deposits, making it a potentially important energy partner for India in the future. Argentina's rich reserves of critical minerals such as lithium, copper and other rare earth elements complement India's growing need for secure and sustainable supplies to these elements for its clean energy transition and industrial growth. India's public sector, KABIL, has already won a few concessions in Argentina since 2024. Our leaders will be discussing more on this subject," Kumaran added.

Quite significantly, India-Argentina bilateral trade more than doubled in three years from 2019 to 2022, peaking at USD 6.4 billion in 2022. In 2021 and 2022, India was Argentina's fourth largest trading partner. Argentina is one of the prime suppliers of edible oils – soybean and sunflower – to India. In 2024, total annual bilateral trade between India and Argentina rose by 33 per cent to USD 5.23 billion, positioning India as Argentina's fifth-largest trading partner and export destination.

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