Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Julián Ventura began a visit to India today.  On his first day in New Delhi, he held several meetings at the Ministry of External Affairs, one of which was with Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to reaffirm Mexico's interest in significantly strengthening the bilateral relationship. He also met with Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, and co-chaired the 5th meeting for political consultations with Vijay Thakur Singh, Secretary (East) of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
 
In the first year of the new Mexican government, and following the recent re-election of the Prime Minister of India, the meetings served to agree on priorities for bilateral cooperation for the next five years. The two officials also agreed on the importance of working together on strengthening a rules-based international system;  opening areas of collaboration in order to build consensus in the United Nations and other forums such as the G20; and keeping in close contact given the possibility that both might serve as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for the 2021-2022 period.
 
Undersecretary Ventura and Secretary Singh analyzed a broad agenda that includes investment and trade, specifically the agri-food, manufacturing, and tourism sectors. They agreed to expand and deepen cultural, educational, scientific and technological cooperation. They stressed that there is a strong relationship in fields such as agriculture and aerospace cooperation for peaceful purposes on which to build.
 
The Economy Ministry's head of Global Economic Intelligence, Sergio Silva Castañeda, is also taking part of the visit, and representatives from the private and academic sectors will be added, including the Executive Secretary General of the National Association of Universities and Higher Education Institutions (ANUIES), Jaime Valls Esponda, and the International Vice President of the Mexican Council of Foreign Trade (COMCE), Jorge López Morton. In the next few days, the Mexican delegation will hold meetings with companies, business leaders, universities, academic associations and government agencies. It will also participate in the launch of the “Mexico-India Dialogue on Innovation and Social Development.”
 
Mexico was the first Latin American country to recognize India's independence in 1947, establishing diplomatic relations in 1950 and a "privileged partnership" in 2007. Various events will be held in both countries to commemorate the upcoming 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations, beginning with India’s participation as guest of honor at the Guadalajara International Book Fair 2019. India is Mexico's ninth-ranked trading partner worldwide, with total trade totaling more than 10 billion dollars annually for the first time in 2018, while Mexico is India's top trading partner in Latin America.

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