India-Argentina ties have increased in last few years, developed in all sectors: Argentina envoy
Dec 12, 2023
New Delhi [India], December 13 : Argentina's Ambassador to India, Hugo Javier Gobbi has said that he is "very satisfied" that the relations between the two nations have increased in the past few years and developed in all sectors, including economic, trade, defence, science and technology.
In an interview with ANI, Hugo Javier Gobbi stated that it is a process that began many years ago but added that it has flourished in the past five years.
On India-Argentina relations, he said, "Well I have to be very satisfied that relation in the last few years has increased and developed in all fields, in cultural, economic, in trade relations, in science, technology, defence, nuclear field and space. So I can only say that we're very proud of how this situation is building and It's a process that has started many years ago but it has flourished in the last five years and so I'm very happy to be part of that process. I'm very proud of the work."
Notably, India-Argentina relations were elevated to the level of Strategic Partnership in 2019. The two nations are working closely together to make defence engagements an important facet of their strategic partnership, according to Ministry of Defence earlier press release.
He also hailed India's stance on Malvinas or Falkland Islands and called it a colonisation issue. He said that Argentina values India's negotiations for a diplomatic situation and diplomatic solution.
Asked on how Argentina views India's stance on Malvinas Islands or Falkland Islands, he said, "Well, we very much values India's position on the issue. You know. India is a leader in the Global South and and this is a colonisation issue. It's an issue where. Colonial power has that is 40 thousand kilometers away took part of Argentina's territory and pushed the Argentinian population away."
"So, it is a very unjust situation and we value very much India's call for negotiations for a diplomatic situation and a solution that would be based in international law in the resolutions of the UN and not just on force," he added.
Argentina and the United Kingdom are engaged in a territorial dispute over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, a disputed archipelago in the South Atlantic.
Hugo Javier Gobbi called for addressing the Guyana-Venezuela crisis diplomatically and peacefully. He stated that Guyana and Venezuela should not be engaged in a conflict. Gobbi made the remarks as he attended the curtain-raisier of "Kerala Literature Festival" in Delhi on Tuesday.
On the Guyana-Venezuela crisis, he said, "Well, Argentina's position is that the situation should be solved diplomatically, peacefully. Both are countries from the Global South. Both should not be engaged in a conflict. I think there is space for having a common ground and a solution that will keep both countries and populations showing the world that you can solve issues diplomatically and peacefully."
Tensions have been mounting between Venezuela and Guyana in recent weeks due to a long-running border dispute over Esequibo, an area in Guyana where massive discoveries of offshore oil and gas have been made, Al Jazeera reported.
For decades, Venezuela has laid claim to Essequibo, claiming that the Essequibo River to the region's east forms a natural border and has historically been recognised as such, according to Al Jazeera.
The country's latest efforts to overtake the territory were piqued in 2015 when ExxonMobil said that it had found oil in commercial quantities off the Essequibo coast. Last weekend, voters in Venezuela also rejected the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) jurisdiction over the area, backing the creation of a new state.
