What are the myths that exist in terms of trade exchanges and interaction between India and Argentina and how do you wish to address them during your visit?

Perhaps one of the most frequent questions that face an officer in my position is the one that deals with, what I call, a kind of a simplification of relations between our countries. This impression of disparity comes from an exaggeration of obstacles created by the geographic distance, mutual lack of knowledge, cultural differences and idiosyncrasies, or even those of social and historical order which relate to distinct origins of our respective societies. In the planning of commercial relations, this myth leads to thinking on many occasions that countries confine themselves to pass through absolutely traditional channels, and therefore be limited to raw products, or to commercial flow of sporadic trade exchanges.

On the contrary, I think that Argentina and India are two big countries, as much from the point of view of their geographic expanse and natural wealth, as from their socio-economic structure, that include complex and sophisticated industries, that result in a capability of relating to and complementing extremely, without any type of limitations, in a world as globalised as that of today. In that sense, the Argentine Commercial Delegation that visits India in October 2009, headed by the President Mrs. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, is a clear manifestation of our trust in the gradual and inexorable enrichment and prosperity of our commercial-economic relations. To end the response to your question, I will say that from the area that I have been given to manage in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, we are ready to put all the effort that may be necessary to help in concretizing more each day this broader relationship, which is not only possible, but also inevitable in the future.

You have been the Under-Secretary for International Trade since 2005. What have been the challenges you have faced during this tenure?
We have had many challenges, but possibly the greatest challenge of these years has been the structuring and execution of a series of annual programmes of activities and of concrete promotional actions. The first condition is that such activities be of an annual nature to allow us to adapt the plans to the existing budgetary funds for each exercise. The second condition is that they would be of a comprehensive nature, in the sense that they would include in these actions, in the most possible representative way, not only all the sectors of the Argentine economic activity, but also all levels of companies according to their size, putting a special emphasis on the Small and Medium scale industries, which in our country have a spectacular dynamism and a notable multifold impact in the socio-economic structure.

Lastly, and in relation to aforesaid, we have begun, with the purpose of streamlining our resources, a strict prioritizing of these markets according to their importance for us and their own weightage. The result of all these initiatives has been impressive. We began in 2006 with a plan of action that included 320 commercial promotion actions for all in that year, and today in 2009 we are completely in execution of a program that includes more than 1200 concrete promotion actions that cover more destinations, more sectors, more products and more factors in comparison to previous years. Although there is an emphasis on Latin America and the MERCOSUR, it must be noted that this bunch of activities cover practically the entire planet covering the most varied selection of products and sectors of our economic activity.

Tell us about your achievements as you have been the recipient of prestigious accolades including the highest honours from Germany, Spain, France and Panama.
I believe that the honours bestowed on us throughout the diplomatic career, have as much to do with the teams that accompany us as with the performance itself. At the same time, I also consider that the generosity of the host countries for the foreign officials is much related to the importance attached to the bilateral relations of our countries in each particular case. I must recognize nevertheless, that whatever may be the merit they attribute to me in the four countries that you mentioned, my experience in all those was not only fruitful through the results obtained, but also represented to me personally a grand enrichment, given that much beyond dealing with cases of all the countries with which Argentina maintains a tradition of intimate friendly relations, I saw myself being confronted with very distinct realities albeit interesting and complex.

What is the eventual outcome that you expect out of this visit to India?
India constitutes as one of the maximum priorities of the Argentine foreign policy - a powerful country at an international level. In the commercial plan that we have, we have insisted repeatedly in the recent years the need of a richer and more intense relationship each time. With regards to the results from this commercial mission we are absolutely sure that they will not only be positive, but also will consolidate, firmly set up on two fundamental pillars of our bilateral relations. On one hand, a trade each time more active and diversified, that which indicates a greater number of factors, but also a greater richness and variety of products, especially those with a higher added value. On the other, the generation of a greater flow of investments in both senses, that even reinforces this trade and feed mutually. In both cases, we have already taken important steps and interesting experiences have been earned. It is observed, for example, a trade in both senses that already crosses USD 1.321 million and that spread gradually to highly value-added products and of greater technological composition like those belonging to the sectors of the biotechnology, software, renewable energy, industrial units and automobile parts.

With regards to the investments, one can see that the same have already taken off and present themselves in a variety of fields of great current and future importance. In case of India, these investments are already directed to the production of commercial vehicles, tractors and motorcycles; urban, hotel and commercial projects, as well as software, bank activities and health insurance. Our expectations are ambitious and in this sense we estimate that visits like these represent milestones of enormous importance for our relations in the long term.

What have been your impressions of having interacted in the past with Indian delegations?
I must acknowledge that in all my experiences with Indian delegations, I have always been impressed by the professionalism and seriousness with which their members deal with different aspects or concrete topics of their competency. At the same time, attention is drawn to the great knowledge of Argentina and its diversities that it generally demonstrates; all factors that undoubtedly facilitate whatever type of business or transaction that exists between us. I also appreciate the surety and clarity of India's convictions at the time of defending the legitimate national or sectorial interests of the country. India is a great country, highly complex and with vast and multiple relations with each of the regions of the world, starting with your own area of influence in Asia. From here, the importance and the advantage for you all to count in numerous and qualified groups of officials and businessmen that, beyond your technical attributes, you possess the human quality, the energy and the courage for advancing on novel paths in all the sectors of human activity and that in the regions more dissimilar and at times more distant from the world. India is truly an honorable example to be taken into account and emulated.

CONTENTS | HOME | IMFAA | IHCTM | SCHNELL HANS