Modi-Milei talks explore ventures in critical minerals, shale, defence

Modi and Milei met last November on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Brazil.

On Saturday, the two sides decided to work towards a preferential trade agreement and  faster approval towards Indian medicines, and adoption of the UPI system after the bilateral meeting.

Modi, in a post on X, said, “Excellent meeting with President Javier Milei of Argentina. We are marking 75 years of India-Argentina diplomatic relations and 5 years since we elevated our relationship to a Strategic Partnership. We have covered significant ground in our bilateral relations, but we agree that the journey ahead is even more promising!”

#WATCH | President of Argentina, Javier Milei and PM Narendra Modi share a hug as the Argentinian President welcomes the PM in the capital city, Buenos Aires.

(Source – ANI/DD) pic.twitter.com/aAW9XRkcgo

— ANI (@ANI) July 5, 2025

The Prime Minister, who reached Buenos Aires early Saturday morning, was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Ezeiza International Airport.

This is the first Indian bilateral visit to Argentina at the level of the Prime Minister in 57 years. It is Modi’s second visit to the country as Prime Minister – he was there in 2018 for the G20 Summit.

After paying respects at the statue of General Jose de San Martin, who fought for Argentina’s independence from Spanish rule and is a national hero, Modi held delegation-level talks, which was followed by a lunch hosted by Milei.

Prime Minister @narendramodi and President of Argentina, Javier Milei, greet people who have gathered outside the Presidential Palace, in Buenos Aires.#PMModiInArgentina@JMilei | @Indembarg | @MEAIndia | @IndianDiplomacy | #IndiaArgentina pic.twitter.com/hPmcc9mAeV

— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) July 5, 2025

Argentina has been a strategic partner of India since 2019 and the two countries celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations last year.

P Kumaran, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs, said, “The Prime Minister’s visit to Argentina comes at a particularly significant time as Argentina is undertaking major economic reforms similar to those India went through in the past.” “The Prime Minister emphasised that India and Argentina share democratic values and therefore they are natural partners, and that we should use that to expand our cooperation to greater heights,” he said.

“India’s advancements in defence manufacturing, in the space sector, in new areas such as information technology and DPI can offer valuable expertise and we can share experiences with Argentina. Our expertise in telemedicine and digital healthcare solutions are also on offer for Argentina in expanding access to medical services and improving overall quality and cost-effective healthcare delivery,” he said.

Argentina holds the world’s second largest shale gas reserves and the fourth largest shale oil reserves along with substantial conventional oil and gas deposits, making it a potentially important energy partner for India in the future.

Argentina’s rich reserves of critical minerals such as lithium, copper and rare earth elements complement India’s growing need for secure and sustainable supplies to these elements for its clean energy transition and industrial growth. India’s public sector joint venture company KABIL has already won a few concessions in Argentina since 2024.

“The two leaders also had an opportunity to discuss cooperation in the energy and critical mineral sectors. The Prime Minister underlined India’s growing energy and industrial needs and emphasised partnership in supporting India’s developmental journey with the world’s second largest shale gas and fourth largest shale oil reserves, along with substantial conventional oil and gas deposits,” Kumaran said.

“Both sides agreed on exploring new avenues for cooperation, including satellite development, launch services, space applications and also to cooperate on capacity building,” he said.

According to Kumaran, Modi thanked Milei for extending strong support to India following the Pahalgam terror attack, and appreciated Argentina’s solidarity during this difficult time.

“The visit will further strengthen the strategic partnership between India and Argentina and to explore new areas of cooperation across a wide range of sectors. These particularly include trade and investment, health and pharmaceuticals, defence and security, infrastructure, mining and mineral resources, agriculture and food security, green energy, information and communication technologies, digital innovation, disaster management, science and technology, education and people to people linkages,” he said.

Argentina is the third stop on the Prime Minister’s ongoing five-nation visit.

From there, Modi will travel to Brazil to attend the 17th BRICS Summit, followed by a State visit. In the final leg of his visit, he will travel to Namibia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are not attending the Summit.