PM Modi, Paraguay President Santiago Peña Discuss Trade, Tech and Counterterror Ties in Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held extensive talks with Paraguayan President Santiago Peña, who is on a three-day State Visit to India. The discussions focused on strengthening economic cooperation, with both leaders identifying technology, critical minerals, health, energy, agriculture, and space as priority sectors for collaboration.

Image Source: NaMo on X

The meeting comes as India intensifies its global diplomatic outreach following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir. Paraguay offered strong support to India’s position, with President Peña condemning the attack and expressing solidarity with the Indian people, a move welcomed by New Delhi as it seeks to build an international consensus on counterterrorism.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi described the meeting as “productive,” and called Paraguay a “valued partner in South America.” President Peña echoed the sentiment, calling India a key strategic partner and expressing Paraguay’s commitment to a shared future of sustainable growth.

Both sides also agreed to scale up engagement through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a Joint Commission Mechanism, which will guide cooperation across sectors. The MoU was signed by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and his Paraguayan counterpart Ruben Ramirez.

President Peña’s visit includes a broader engagement agenda, with scheduled meetings with President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and senior business leaders during his upcoming stop in Mumbai. He is accompanied by a high-level delegation of ministers, officials, and business representatives.

Earlier in the day, Dr. Jaishankar called on the visiting leader and welcomed his positive stance on expanding bilateral cooperation. “This visit will open new avenues for India’s engagement with Paraguay and the South America region,” Jaishankar said.

The visit is only the second by a Paraguayan President to India since diplomatic relations were established in 1961. Bilateral trade between the two countries stood at $477 million in 2022–23, driven primarily by the automobile and pharmaceutical sectors.

Paraguay continues to be a strong backer of India’s global policy priorities, including UN reform, climate change action, renewable energy, and counterterrorism. India, in turn, sees Paraguay as a valuable partner in Latin America’s emerging trade and innovation networks.

With this visit, India reaffirms its intention to diversify its strategic partnerships across regions, even as it navigates an assertive post-Pahalgam diplomatic campaign aimed at shaping international consensus on terrorism, global governance, and sustainable development.