After a lengthy wait, India has decided to open its missions in two South American nations – Paraguay and the Dominican Republic. The choice to open Indian missions subsequent year in South America and in Europe (Estonia) was taken on Wednesday (Dec 30, 2020) at the Cabinet meeting which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
How will these missions assistance?
Besides expanding India’s presence in South America, as properly as in Europe, these missions play a important part in bilateral trade, investments and financial engagements. These missions will also assistance in additional enhancing folks to folks contacts and assistance in bolstering political outreach.
Opening of new missions in 2021 is also in line with India’s concentrate on ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’.
The missions, particularly in South American nations, will assistance in supplying market place access for Indian businesses and the export of goods and services.
In an earlier interaction with TheSpuzz Online, Dean of Diplomatic Corps Ambassador Hans Dannenberg Castellanos had mentioned, “We hope 2021 would be the year of Latin America and also hopefully India will open more embassies in the region.”
He has personally been generating a number of representations to the Indian government urging them to open more missions in the area.
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India & Paraguay
Opening Indian mission in Paraguay was discussed when Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu had visited that nation in March 2019.
At the finish of his pay a visit to, speaking to TheSpuzz Online, a senior officer who wished to stay anonymous had confirmed that the Indian government was taking into consideration opening an embassy in Paraguay. According to the senior officer quoted above “There were few formalities which were in the process of being completed and the embassy will be opened very soon in Asuncion, Paraguay.”
Paraguay currently has a mission in New Delhi.
Trade is a single of the most important drivers of the bilateral relations involving India and Paraguay which has witnessed a ten-fold enhance more than the final ten years. And, Brand India in the automobile sector has a robust presence in Paraguay.
TheSpuzz Online had through the Vice President’s visited reported that Soyabean oil accounts for more than just about 90 per cent of Paraguay‘s exports to India and other items that come from there include iron and steel; aluminium; oils and resinoids. Carmenta (Joint Venture of Alok Master Batches Ltd of India and Grupo Barr of Paraguay); Royal Enfield; Bajaj Motors; and Tata Motors.
As has been reported earlier, India offers an additional 10 per cent margin of preference only to Paraguay for a Tariff Rate Quota of imports of crude soybean oil up to 30000 MT/year.
And India exports steel, plastics, chemicals, vehicles and auto parts.
Under the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, aid has been given for a project in Paraguay titled Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy and Sexual Abuse/ Violence in Girls and Adolescents from an Intersectoral Approach has been approved. It has a budget of $ 600,000, and the duration of the project is 36 months.
Paraguay is also a member of MERCOSUR (a South American Customs’ Union at present produced up of Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay). And has been a wonderful supporter in the improved integration of the trade bloc. It is also a member of CELAC (Community of Latin American and the Caribbean States), OAS (Organization of American States) and an observer in NAM (Non-Aligned Movement).
India & Dominican Republic
For a lengthy time Ambassador Castellanos of the Dominican Republic to India has been attempting to get an Indian mission in Santo Domingo. He has lastly succeeded. In 2021, an Indian embassy will be opened in a modest Caribbean island nation. All formalities are in the course of action of getting completed. He is also attempting to get his newly elected President to pay a visit to India at the earliest.
He has also set a target of USD a single billion for the Indian-Dominican trade which is has gone up from a mere USD 24.7 million dollars in 2004-5 to USD 782 million in 2018-19. India is the biggest market place for that country’s gold. Rum, Coffee, Cigars are now very easily out there in India.
Similarly, exports from India to that nation has touched USD 215 million in 2018-19 from USD 24.7 million in 2004-5. Pharmaceuticals and cars are the most important exports of India to DR.
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More missions in the area?
As has been reported by TheSpuzz Online earlier, India has only 14 embassies out of the 33 nations in the LatAm area. “Diplomats from several countries including El Salvador, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Uruguay and others have been meeting with the senior officers in the Ministry of External Affairs. The focus of the discussions has been opening Indian missions in their respective countries, on a reciprocal basis.”