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India-Argentina
India-Argentina, a long term
link.
In 1885 the National Census
indicated the presence in Argentina of 6 peoples from
India.
In 1913 there were 60 peoples from India and 51 of
them had Singh as last name. The coordinator of this group was Mr. Bushan Singh.
In 1920 was inaugurate in Kalkota an Argentinean
Consulate.
In 1924 the Novel Prized and Indian Poet
Rabindranath Tagore visited Buenos Aires during almost 3 month and being hosted
by the famous argentinian writer Victoria Ocampo.
In 1925 the Maharaja of Kapurtala was in Argentina
visiting his friend the Argentina President Marcelo T. de Alvear.
In 1943 an Latin American Indian Commerce Committee
was created in Buenos Aires. The Chief of the Committee was Mr. J.R. modi from
India.
On February 3, 1949, the Argentina Minister of
External Affairs and the General Consul of India signed an agreement starting
diplomatic relationships between both nations.
On April 19th, 1949 Mr. Aftab Rai was the first
Consul of India.
On May 19th, 1949 a Law was approved at the
Argentina National Congress to open an Embassy in New Delhi.
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The first Ambassador of India was Mr. Oscar Tascheret
who presents his credential in New Delhi on April 4th, 1950.
The first Ambassador of India was J.V. Vesukar.
Since then, both countries has been exchanging Ambassadors regularly. |
On December 1961, the Argentina President Arturo
Frondizi, together with the Minister of External Affairs Miguel Angel Carcano,
visited India. That was the first visit of an Argentina President to India.
There was a civic reception at the historical Red Fortin
Delhi on December 6th where President Frondizi and Prime Minister Jawarharlal
Nehru gave important talks.
President Frondizi was received by the Parliament of India
giving a talk regardin the cooperation among both countries at United Nations
for the goal of Peace, the right of peoples of enjoying the benefits of economic
development and immediate actions for the atomic disarm. Later he was in Kolkata
and Agra. At the end of the visit President Frondizi and Prime Minister Nerhu
release a paper emphasizing, among other issues, the economic cooperation.
In 1965 the “Fragata Libertad” school ship went to
India.
In March 1966, the Minster of External Affairs Dr
Miguel Angel Zanal Ortiz, visited India officially and signed the 1° Commercial
Agreement Argentina-India.
In 1968 Indira Gandhi visited Buenos Aires and
signed several bilateral agreement incluiding the “Agreement for Tourist Visa
without fees”. Ms Gandhi visited the house of Victoria Ocampo.
In May 1974 the Minister of External Affairs, Mr. Surendra
Pal Singh, visited Buenos Aires and signed 2 important agreements with the
Argentina Minister Mr. Alberto Vignes: one call Cultural Agreement and other
call Cooperation for Pacific Use of the Atomic Energy Agreement.
The Argentina Minisiter of Energy Dr. Guadagni was a
speaker at the World Conference on Energy held in Delhi on September 1983.
The same year, India enter as Consulting Part in the
Antarctic Tractate and become a member of the Scientific Committee for
Antarctic Research in 1984.
In 1983 when Dr. Raul Alfonsin became President of
Argentina, India welcomed the recovery of democracy in Argentina.
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On April 1984, the President of India Giani Zail Singh
visited Argentina and gave a talk at the Argentina Congress describing Argentina
as “A sister Republic from the other side of the planet”. He went to Salta and
had a meeting with with almost 100 families from India (basically from Punjab)
who emigrated to Argentina around 1930. At present times there is a Sikh Temple
in Rosario de la Frontera, Province of Salta.
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In January 1985, Dr. Alfonsin was invited for the
celebrations for the Day of Indian Republic in New Delhi. During his stay
participated at the Meeting of 6 Naitons for the disarm together with the Prime
Minister of India, Suecia ans Greece and the President of Mexico and Tanzania.
During his visit the Unida Foundation with headquarter in New Delhi delivered to
him the Unity Award for the International Understanding.
The Vice-Minister of External Affairs K.P.S. Menon visited
Buenos Aires in 1988 for consultations regarding Non-Alinated Countries.
The Chief of the Indian Army, Almirant J.G. Nadkarni,
visited Buenos Aires invited by the Argentina Government in 1989.
A delegation leaded by the Minister of Finances Eduardo
Faleiro was present at the Ceremony of taking office of President Carlos Menem
in 1989.
At the G-15 Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, President Menem and
Prime Ministe V.P. Singh exchange ideas and proposals on international matters.
In November 1990, by an invitation of the India Parliament,
Dr. Rodriguez Saa fron San Luis Province headed a Argentina Delegation for
India. The same year, the President of the Committee of Atomic Energy, Dr.
Manuel Mondino, visited India and had important meetings with his colleague Dr.
Iyenger and Secretary Malhotra from External Affairs.
The Chief of the Indian Airforce visited Argntina with a
delegation.
In 1991, President Menem and Prime Minister N. Rao
met at G-15 Meeting in Caracas. The same year, The Minister of Petroleum, Dr.
Shankarand was lecturer at the Petroleum Worls Congress in Buenos Aires.
In 1994, President Menem visited Delhi for the G-15
Meeting and has extensive meetings with Indian leaders. In November 1995,
the Prime Minister N. Rao visited Buenos Aires for the G-15 Meeting.
The Minister of Agriculture, Som Pal assisted to the 112°
International Expsition of Agriculture and Industry in Buenos Aires on August
1998.
In May 2000 the Minister of Commerce and Industry,
Omar Abdullah, visited Buenos Aires.The Minister of External Affairs Ajit Kumar
Panja visited Argentina the same year.
The Minister of Energy Suresh Prabhu participated in the
18th World Council of Energy celebrated in Buenos Aires in October 2001, a
Indo-Argentina Joint Committee was created.. The first meeting was held in Delhi
in 1994. The Argentina delegation was headed by the famous economist Dr. Raul
Prebisch whom received in 1974 the “Award Jawarhar Lal Nehru to the
International Understanding”.
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In 1986 Ayurvedic Medical Meditation was tought at
the San Luis, Corrientes and Posadas Prisons for Inmate Rehabilitation.
In 1988 a Governmental Committee to Study
Ayurveda Medicine was created at the Health Ministry of La Rioja Province.
The Universidad Abierta Interamericana of Buenos Aires
founded in 1996, the 1° Department of Ayurveda Medicine for Medical
Doctors in Latin-America and the Department of Indo-Oriental Studies.
This University organizes the Week of India on a yearly basis.
In 1996 a 40 rooms Ayurvedic Health Resort was founded in
Cordoba, Argentina beside the Anisacate River and surrounded by the mountains at
Villa La Paisanita.
In 2002 the Argentina India Freinship House was
founded.
In 2008 the Argentina-India Chanber of Commerce & Industry
was created.
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During the 40s the comercial Exchange were only few
millions dollars growing now up to U$S 1.3 billions.
Lot of Indian Companies has a branch in Argentina.
India is saling to Argentina chemicals. Cars, parts,
motorcycles, textiles, stain steel goods and handicrafts. Argentina it is saling
Soy oil (almost 80% of total export), iron, steel, cotton, wool, leather, zinc,
copper and other minerals.
As future complementation we can say Argentina can be a
source of agricultural good, transferring of technology for “Direct Seeding”,
minerals and biodiesel. India can contribute with direct investments and
Informatic Technology.
During the first half of 2008 the Argentina/India commerce
has been increased in more than 40% under the administration of the new Indian
Ambassador to Argentina Mr. Rengaraj Viswanathan.
A important delegation will visit Argentina on2009 for the
Third India- Latin America Business Conclave to be held in Buenos Aires to share
with Argentinean Business men and Governmental official the opportunity to plan
and think about future commons activities.
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On February 4th, 2009 the President of Argentina
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner it is planning to visit Delhi and Mumbai with a
delegation of 70 business men.
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Some interesting point of Argentina-India contact.
After the 2° World War a Aeronautical Engineer called Kurt
Tank , who designed several important airplanes, accepted in 1947 an offer from
the Cordoba Airplanes Military Factory, Argentina where he created and designed
the PULQUI II. This airplane was considered the State-of-the-Art. In 1955 Kurt
Tank left Argentina for India to work at the Hindustan Aeronautics where he
designed HINDUSTAN MARUT, the first military airplane builded in India. The
first prototype flew in 1961.
The MARUT was out of the active service in 1985.
India and Argentina are working together on important
global issues of common interest such as UN and NATO.
Both are members of G-20 and G-15
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