ASUNCION: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Monday held “productive” talks with his Paraguay counterpart Julio Cesar Arriola during which they discussed new areas of cooperation and exchanged views on the state of the world.
Jaishankar, who is on his first-ever official visit to South America aimed at boosting overall bilateral ties with the region, is also the first Indian Foreign Minister to visit Paraguay, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the beginning of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
“Today, we had very productive talks. We discussed our bilateral relations. We discussed the prospects of growth, trade, development partnership and investments,” Jaishankar said during a joint press statement alongside Arriola.
The minister said that beyond economy, there are other areas where the two sides can work together such as culture, civil society, health, education and traditional medicine.
“We had a very good exchange of views on the state of the world. Our shared commitment to international rules-based order, a world which respects international law, which respects agreements, which supports multilateralism,” Jaishankar said, in a veiled reference to China.
In Sao Paulo, Jaishankar on Saturday said that China has disregarded the border pacts with India, casting a shadow on the bilateral ties as he asserted that a lasting relationship cannot be a one-way street and there has to be mutual respect.
Jaishankar also inaugurated the Embassy of India in Paraguay. “I have every confidence that with an embassy in this country, the opportunities for our cooperation will grow,” he said, assuring Arriola that he will find India as a very good partner.
On his part, Arriola said that Paraguay has a firm interest in becoming a strategic partner of India in the region.
“We aim to continue working to increase investment and support in areas of common interest, such as culture, education, energy, technology transfer and training of human talent, among others,” he said.
Later, Jaishankar called on President Marito Abdo.
Jaishankar, who is on his first-ever official visit to South America aimed at boosting overall bilateral ties with the region, is also the first Indian Foreign Minister to visit Paraguay, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the beginning of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
“Today, we had very productive talks. We discussed our bilateral relations. We discussed the prospects of growth, trade, development partnership and investments,” Jaishankar said during a joint press statement alongside Arriola.
The minister said that beyond economy, there are other areas where the two sides can work together such as culture, civil society, health, education and traditional medicine.
“We had a very good exchange of views on the state of the world. Our shared commitment to international rules-based order, a world which respects international law, which respects agreements, which supports multilateralism,” Jaishankar said, in a veiled reference to China.
In Sao Paulo, Jaishankar on Saturday said that China has disregarded the border pacts with India, casting a shadow on the bilateral ties as he asserted that a lasting relationship cannot be a one-way street and there has to be mutual respect.
Jaishankar also inaugurated the Embassy of India in Paraguay. “I have every confidence that with an embassy in this country, the opportunities for our cooperation will grow,” he said, assuring Arriola that he will find India as a very good partner.
On his part, Arriola said that Paraguay has a firm interest in becoming a strategic partner of India in the region.
“We aim to continue working to increase investment and support in areas of common interest, such as culture, education, energy, technology transfer and training of human talent, among others,” he said.
Later, Jaishankar called on President Marito Abdo.