Modi and Milei met in Argentina ahead of BRICS summit

(Patria) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Argentine President Javier Milei in Buenos Aires on Saturday, calling for the expansion of New Delhi's preferential trade agreement with the South American bloc Mercosur, AFP reported.

The bilateral talks with Milei are the last in Modi's diplomatic tour culminating in the BRICS summit, of developing countries, which begins on Sunday in Brazil.

Diplomats from both countries at the meeting, which included lunch, decided to "deepen
bilateral relations and trade ties", according to a statement from the Argentine presidency.
Indian diplomat Periasamy Kumaran told reporters that Modi "requested Argentina's support in expanding the preferential trade agreement between India and Mercosur".

The regional trade bloc Mercosur, comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia, is seeking closer ties with Asian economies in the face of Trump's global trade war.

"The two leaders discussed the need to diversify and expand bilateral trade" in sectors including defense, technology and health, Kumaran said.

They also touched upon cooperation in the energy sector, including gas and gasoline, as well as lithium, a key mineral for the transition to clean energy. Argentina is the world's fifth-largest producer of lithium, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey.

"A great meeting with the President of Argentina Javier Milei", Modi wrote on
social network X.

"We covered a significant part of our bilateral relations, but we agree that the journey ahead is even more promising!"

India was Argentina's fifth-largest trading partner in 2024, with bilateral trade increasing by 33 percent, according to data from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.