PM Modi meets Presidents of Brazil, Chile and Argentina; takes stock of full range of bilateral ties

Rio de Janeiro: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday met with the Presidents of Brazil, Chile and Argentina here and discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in various areas such as defence, energy, biofuels and agriculture.

Modi, who arrived here on Sunday after concluding a two-day trip to Nigeria, held talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the sidelines of the G20 Summit and complimented him on various efforts of Brazil during their G20 Presidency.

"We took stock of the full range of bilateral ties between our nations and reaffirmed our commitment to improving cooperation in sectors like energy, biofuels, defence, agriculture and more," Modi said in a post on X after talks with Lula.

The two leaders had a "productive meeting" during which they reviewed the complete spectrum of bilateral ties and agreed to advance cooperation in sectors such as defence, agriculture, biofuels, digital technology and more, the prime minister's office said.

While opening the bilateral meeting, President Lula told Prime Minister Modi that a lot of things that they have tried to do in their G20 have been inspired by the G20 in India, the sources said.

He added that Brazil wanted to reach the level of efficiency in organizing the Summit that India had shown last year, they added.

Brazil is hosting the 19th G20 Summit. India is part of the G20 Troika along with Brazil and South Africa.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that Prime Minister Modi thanked President Lula for successfully hosting the G20 Summit.

"PM assured India's full support to Brazil's initiative of ‘Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty’. Discussions focused on exploring opportunities for greater cooperation in renewable energy, biofuels, defence, agriculture, healthcare, and digital technology," he said in a post on X.

On Monday, Prime Minister Modi was warmly received by President Lula at the G20 Summit venue.

Alongside Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden are among the leaders attending the Rio de Janeiro summit on November 18-19.

On Tuesday, Modi also met with Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font on the margins of the G20 Summit.

"India's ties with Chile are getting stronger across various sectors. Our talks focused on how to deepen relations in pharmaceuticals, technology, space and more. It is gladdening to see Ayurveda gaining popularity in Chile. This is also a sector where ties can gain momentum," Modi posted on X.

On his part, President Boric said that they discussed the negotiations of the Trade Agreement between both countries (CEPA) and the new opportunities for public-private investment and trade promotion.

"We also discussed how to increase academic exchange, as well as increasing collaboration on cultural matters. India is one of the largest economies in the world, with great demographic and future potential, with whom we are working to strengthen ties, which we will deepen during our next official visit to that country next year," he said in a post on X.

Both sides reviewed India-Chile relations and discussed ways to expand cooperation in areas of pharmaceuticals, healthcare, technology, IT, railways, mining, space, renewable energy & defence, the MEA spokesperson said.

"PM @narendramodi held talks with President @GabrielBoric of Chile on the sidelines of G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The leaders deliberated on further strengthening ties in a host of sectors including pharmaceuticals, healthcare, defence, technology, renewable energy and more," The Prime Minister’s Office posted on X.

Separately, Modi met with Argentina President Javier Milei and reviewed bilateral Strategic Partnership. This was the first meet between the two leaders.

Modi said that he had an "outstanding" meeting with President Javier Milei of Argentina.

"Had an outstanding meeting with President Javier Milei of Argentina. India cherishes the close friendship with Argentina. Our Strategic Partnership marks 5 years, adding immense vibrancy to bilateral relations. We talked about enhancing ties in energy, defence production, trade and culture," Modi posted on X.

Both leaders reviewed India-Argentina Strategic Partnership and agreed to further deepen and diversify the bilateral relationship particularly in the areas of digital technology, pharmaceuticals, defence, space, energy, mineral resources and railways, the MEA spokesperson said.

"PM @narendramodi and President @JMilei had a productive meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They discussed ways to enhance India-Argentina cooperation in sectors such as technology, pharmaceuticals, defence and more," The Prime Minister’s Office posted on X.

Modi also attended the session on ‘Sustainable Development and Energy Transition’, where he underlined the importance of accelerating efforts to ensure a cleaner, more sustainable future for all, including through mainstreaming ‘Varanasi Principles on LiFE’ and initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance, One World-One Sun-One Grid and the Global Bio-Fuel Alliance.

"India brings world leaders together for harnessing technology to foster a sustainable future!" Jaiswal wrote on X and posted a photograph featuring Prime Minister Modi joined by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Spanish President Pedro Sánchez, UN chief António Guterres and heads of Mexico, World Bank, IMF, WHO and WTO.

"The leaders emphasised the power of DPI, AI & data-driven governance in achieving the SDGs and transforming lives of people globally," the spokesperson said.

From Brazil, Modi will travel to Guyana at the invitation of President Mohamed Irfaan Ali. It will be the first-ever visit of an Indian prime minister to Guyana in more than 50 years.