Diplomatist Special Report Argentina | Page 7

With regard to food security, Argentina has been able to achieve agricultural development in fi elds like machinery, molecular biology, and genetic engineering, in order to generate effi cient integration in global value chains. Agri technology is also one of our major developments, and we are willing to share it with India and all its farmers. In this regard, cooperation in the areas of increased productivity and post-harvest management (particularly storage) also off er an opportunity for both countries to work together as partners. In the fi eld of energy, we believe that non-conventional resources located at “Vaca Muerta” will be key in the near future for India´s energy security. Also, in Argentina, there are great investment opportunities for copper and lithium, and we are ready to provide these strategic assets to India. I would also like to emphasize that Argentina also off ers possibilities of cooperation in highly advanced and technological areas, such as peaceful uses of nuclear energy and outer-space. The company INVAP is currently working on a radioisotope plant in Mumbai, for example. Argentina has also developed and built state of the art radars for airspace control. We are willing to share all these technologies and developments with India, working together according to its own needs and requirements. I fi rmly believe that we need better strategic ties and a deeper involvement of India not only in our country but also in all Latin America. Towards 70 Next year will mark a special occasion: we will be celebrating 70 years of bilateral relations and friendship between Argentina and India. The world sets us great challenges, but also a great opportunity. We must use this opportunity to set the stage for the future of our bilateral relationship, and also look back to consolidate all that has been achieved. We are getting ready to celebrate with India and its people this great occasion. I would like to express my best wishes for our common future, which I am sure will fi nd us together seeking the welfare of our people. Daniel Chuburu, Ambassador of Argentina to India 7 The need for a strategic dialogue The world that we are facing is setting unprecedented challenges for developing countries like Argentina and India. Protectionism (exercised by many actors and in many diff erent manners), tensions in the fi eld of trade and resort to unilateral measures are creating risks for multilateralism and the rules-based international order. Geopolitical rivalries and instability in many parts of the world, due to socio-economic tensions or the lack of a fair distribution of the goods produced by free trade and globalization also has the potential to threaten peace and stability. And we shall not forget the unique challenge that climate change represents for all of us. This is the world in which development strategies are to be managed. As Argentina and India both embrace the same values of democracy, pluralism, and tolerance and believe in development as the key to a better future, we must move through this path together, as partners. This is why it is our goal to strengthen our bilateral ties and take them a step further, achieving a Strategic Dialogue based on mutually benefi cial cooperation. Two areas must be the key focus of this partnership: food and energy security. We are fully aware that these are two main goals for India. Argentina wants to partner India in this strategic sense in order to help is achieve its two main goals. This strategic dialogue must be achieved through high added value in the fields of agro-technology and food security, mining, science, energy security, peaceful uses of nuclear energy and of outer space, defense and security, and including off course cultural exchanges and education. In an uncertain, rapidly changing and complex world, Argentina and India must be strategic partners. We must deeply explore the complementarities between our two countries, specially within the fi elds of IT and agro-technology. There is a great potential to strengthen the bilateral commercial relationship with India not only in terms of trade but also in terms of technical cooperation and investments. This said we must be aware that the commercial relationship has to be improved, and more investments of Indian companies are needed. Argentina off ers a great opportunity for these investments, with highly developed human resources and a vast amount of natural resources.