Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi on July 7, 2025, on the sidelines of the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with a primary goal of increasing the India-MERCOSUR Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA). The conversations encompassed all aspects of bilateral ties, including digital collaboration, ICT, digital public infrastructure (such as UPI), defense, trains, health and pharmaceuticals, agriculture, energy, culture, and people-to-people connections.
A key focus of the meeting was the common desire to expand the India-MERCOSUR PTA, with both leaders hoping to unlock greater economic potential and improve trade complementarities between India and the MERCOSUR bloc, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay.
The PTA, which was signed in 2004 and has been operational since 2009, currently provides tariff concessions on 450 Indian and 452 MERCOSUR tariff lines, with a focus on a limited range of goods such as meat, chemicals, hides, leather, wool, cotton yarn, pharmaceuticals, essential oils, plastics, rubber, and machinery. Both sides are now attempting to widen the scope of the deal to encompass more products and larger tariff cuts, in accordance with long-standing suggestions and ongoing negotiations.
Prime Minister Modi thanked President Orsi for Uruguay’s strong condemnation of the recent terrorist assault in Pahalgam and acknowledged Uruguay’s solidarity with India in the battle against terrorism. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to forging a forward-thinking bilateral engagement, emphasizing the significance of strong India-Uruguay ties for the Global South. Modi also cited the growing popularity of Yoga in Uruguay as a promising sign for improving people-to-people relationships.
During the BRICS Summit, Modi stressed India’s ambition to recast the BRICS grouping during its next chairmanship, emphasizing on “Building Resilience and Innovation for Cooperation and Sustainability.” He reaffirmed India’s commitment to prioritizing the issues of poor countries, as evidenced during its G20 chairmanship, and promised a people-centric, inclusive approach for BRICS as well.
The discussion with President Orsi was part of Modi’s broader diplomatic outreach to Latin America during his five-nation tour, which also included bilateral meetings with leaders from Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, and Bolivia, highlighting India’s strategic goal to strengthen ties with the area.
