Milei meets with Modi: they seek to deepen cooperation in lithium, energy, and agriculture

President Javier Milei will receive Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this Thursday at Casa Rosada, as part of an official visit that marks a milestone in bilateral relations.

This will be the first meeting of its kind between leaders of both countries in more than five decades, with an agenda focused on lithium, gas, agribusiness, and nuclear energy, key sectors for Argentina's economic development and India's global positioning.

Historic and strategic meeting

Modi will arrive in Buenos Aires this afternoon and will begin his official agenda with a floral offering to General San Martín, scheduled for 11 a.m. on Thursday. Afterwards, he will head to the Government House to hold the bilateral meeting with Milei, accompanied by the Secretary General of the Presidency, Karina Milei, and Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein.

This will be the first official visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Argentina since 1968, when Indira Gandhi met with Arturo Frondizi. The meeting takes place before Modi travels to Brazil to participate in the BRICS summit, a bloc from which Argentina was excluded after Milei came to power.

Energy, lithium, and agribusiness: the main topics on the agenda

The meeting will serve to strengthen bilateral trade, currently around 5 billion dollars annually, with an Argentine trade surplus of more than 3 to 1. India is the main buyer of Argentine soybean oil and one of the main buyers of sunflower oil.

However, the focus is on strategic resources, such as lithium from northern Argentina, where India already has investments in Catamarca. In this context, YPF signed energy agreements with Indian companies during visits made by its president, Horacio Marín, who met with Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. Exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) will also be part of the bilateral conversation.

India, a rising power with interest in Argentina

India, with 1.45 billion inhabitants, is already the world's fifth-largest economy and aims to be among the top three by 2030, surpassing Japan and Germany. With sustained growth of 6 to 8% annually, it represents a key strategic partner for Argentina.

The diplomatic alignment between both governments also favors this rapprochement. India has supported Argentina's claim over the Malvinas, and the Milei administration was one of the first to condemn the terrorist attack in Kashmir, reinforcing the shared agenda of combating terrorism.

A new partner for pro-Western Argentina

Milei's government, aligned with the United States and Israel, decided not to join the BRICS bloc, which marked a distancing from powers such as China or Russia. In this context, Modi's visit is seen as a diplomatic signal of support for Argentina's position within the Western axis, without abandoning ties with relevant actors from the global south.

Argentine Ambassador to India, Mariano Caucino, recently emphasized that "Argentina supports India and all peace-loving peoples who reject terrorism", in line with historical positions after the attacks suffered at the AMIA and the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires.