Buenos Aires Herald 
Argentine President Javier Milei held a private meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Casa Rosada, where they both agreed to deepen bilateral relations and trade exchange, the Argentine government announced in a press statement.
The heads of state shared a meeting alongside their delegations in the Eva Perón Hall. After that, the Argentine authorities offered an official lunch in honor of the Indian authorities.
In a post on social media, Modi said his meeting with Milei was “excellent.” “We are marking 75 years of India-Argentina diplomatic relations and 5 years since we elevated our relationship to a Strategic Partnership,” he added.
“We have covered significant ground in our bilateral relations, but we agree that the journey ahead is even more promising!” he added.
Argentina was Modi’s third stop on a five-nation tour aimed at boosting India’s partnerships across the Global South. He visited Buenos Aires after a trip to Trinidad and Tobago. Modi will now travel to Brazil for the BRICS summit, set to take place on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro.
India and Argentina’s relationship
India is the fourth biggest destination for Argentina’s exports, accounting for 6% of the country’s sales abroad in the first quarter of the year, according to a National Institute of Statistics and Census (INDEC) report on Argentine Commercial Trade. Argentina’s trade with India has resulted in over US$1 billion in surplus for Argentina in the first quarter of 2025. This mostly comes from soybean oil, which accounts for 95% of Argentina’s exports to India. Sunflower oil exports are also growing strongly.
A joint statement by the Argentine Oil Industry Chamber (CIARA) and the Cereal Export Center (CEC) described Modi’s visit as “extremely important,” and highlighted the need to increase Argentina’s commercial ties with the Asian country.
“We supply the oil Indian consumers use every day, and we have the potential to continue increasing our supply. To achieve this, we need the Argentine government to strengthen bilateral economic, commercial, and cultural ties and promote them within Mercosur, to quickly open negotiations for a free trade agreement with India,” read the joint statement.
During his visit, Modi paid homage to Indian independence activist Mahatma Gandhi, Argentine founding fahter José de San Martín, and Indian poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore.
Modi, who has ruled India since 2014, has been accused by human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, as well as former allies, of pursuing authoritarian policies in the country. In a 2021 report, Reporters Without Borders accused him of curbing press freedom in India since he took office.
