Rajnath Singh wrote on his official Twitter account, “Had Insightful deliberations with the Defence Minister of Argentine Republic, Mr Jorge Enrique Taiana on boosting India-Argentina bilateral ties and further consolidating defence cooperation.”

Jorge Taiana, who arrived in India on Monday, honoured the dead warriors earlier that day by laying a wreath at the National War Memorial in the nation’s capital. The defence minister of Argentina is also expected to travel to Bengaluru during his stay.

The defence minister of Argentina paid a visit to BrahMos Aerospace and would meet with prominent think tanks in Delhi. According to a news release from the Ministry of Defence, he will also fly to Bengaluru where he would visit the facilities of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and meet with the defence start-ups there separately at an event hosted by Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX).

In 2019, the relationship between India and Argentina was upgraded to a Strategic Partnership. A MoU on defence cooperation has also been in effect since 2019 and more agreements are being negotiated by both parties to deepen their engagement.

Argentina and India are collaborating closely to make defence engagements a key component of their strategic partnership.

During Argentina’s President State Visit to India in February 2019, the two countries’ relations were raised to the status of Strategic Partnership.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Fernandez of Argentina met for the first time on June 24, 2022, in Munich, Germany, outside of the G7 Summit.

In June of this year, cooperation in Tejas Combat Aircrafts and a number of helicopter choices produced by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was discussed between the Indian Ambassador to Argentina, Dinesh Bhatia, and the Chief of the Argentine Air Force, Brigadier General Xavier Isaac.

“Amb @dineshbhatia joined the @HALHQBLR delegation to meet Brig Gen Xavier Isaac, Chief of the Argentine Air Force and @FuerzaAerea_Arg technical team, to discuss cooperation in #Tejas Combat Aircrafts and a variety of helicopter options manufactured by HAL @makeinindia,” the Indian Embassy in Argentina tweeted.

Foreign Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar appreciated Argentine interest in the Tejas fighter aircraft earlier in August of last year and emphasised the significance of the proposal in raising the strategic component of bilateral relations.

Jaishankar reviewed the ongoing collaboration in the vital fields of defence, nuclear energy, and space during his meeting with Santiago Cafiero, the foreign minister of Argentina.

The promotion of visits between the armed forces, defence training, and cooperation for joint manufacturing of defense-related equipment were all agreed upon by the parties. Joint Commission Meetings (JCMs) between the two nations were presided over jointly by Jaishankar and Foreign Minister Cafiero.

According to a joint statement, India and Argentina “reviewed their ongoing cooperation in the strategic fields of defence, nuclear energy, and space and reaffirmed their commitment to work together for mutual benefit.”

“EAM, acknowledging Argentine interest in the Made in India TEJAS fighter aircraft for the Argentine Air Force, highlighted the importance of the proposal in enhancing the strategic quotient of the bilateral relationship,” the statement further read.