India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

is represented in

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

through its embassy in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

; it also has a consulate general in

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

. Uruguay has an embassy in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

and a consulate in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

. Diplomatic relations were established in 1948. The Uruguayan embassy in New Delhi was first opened in 1960 and operated until 1975. It was re-opened in 1998. In May 2010, Uruguayan ambassador to India Cesar Ferrer requested India to open an embassy in Montevideo.

High level visits

In 1968,

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...

became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Uruguay. Several ministerial visits between the two countries have taken place. Uruguayan Vice-President Hugo Fernandez Faingold visited India in 1999, and is the highest ranking Uruguayan official to visit the country.

Bilateral agreements

The two countries have signed several bilateral agreements. In 1999, the two sides signed an MoU on holding foreign office consultations, an agreement under which Uruguayan diplomats can attend training course in the Foreign Service Institute of India, and an agreement to issue long-term visas to businessmen. An MoU on establishing a Joint Commission to promote bilateral relations was signed in January 2007. In September 2011, India and Uruguay signed agreements for the avoidance of double taxation and on co-operation in renewable energy. In January 2017, India's Union Cabinet approved the ratification of a customs agreement with Uruguay which provides a legal framework for information and intelligence sharing between customs authorities. The two countries have regularly supported each other at international fora. Uruguay supported India's bid for election to the UN Human Rights Council for the term 2015–17. Both countries are members of the

Group of 77 The Group of 77 (G77) at the United Nations (UN) is a coalition of 134 developing countries, designed to promote its members' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 fou ...

Economic relations

Bilateral trade between India and Uruguay totaled US$218.4 million in 2015, registering a growth of 28.1% over the previous year. India exported $204.3 million worth of goods to and imported $14.1 million worth of goods from Uruguay. The main commodities exported from India to Uruguay are chemicals, garments, vehicles, sound and image devices, pharmaceuticals, iron and steel, synthetic yarn, equipment and machinery. India's main imports from Uruguay are wool, leather and timber. India and Uruguay signed a Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) in February 2008. India and Uruguay signed a Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) in February 2008. Uruguay is a member of MERCOSUR and is part of the Mercosur-India preferential trade agreement which came into effect on 1 June 2009. Indian firm Tata Consultancy Services opened a Global Delivery Centre at

Zonamerica Zonamerica is a Business and Technology park in Uruguay operating under the Free Zone Law since 1990. In 2019, some 10,000 people in 350 companies work in 30 buildings in Zonamerica. The same year, there are more than 90,000 sq mt built areas, of ...

in Montevideo in 2002. This was the company's first office in Latin America. India is becoming a significant trading partner of Uruguay; opportunities lying ahead are enormous.Asia-Pacific: opportunities
Another Indian IT firm Geodesic Ltd acquired a Uruguayan software company in Montevideo in May 2009. Arcelor Mittal acquitered CINTER S.A, a Uruguayan stainless steel tube producer, in December 2007. Several firms owned by NRIs also operate in Uruguay. Tata Motors began operating in Uruguay in May 2015. Citizens of Uruguay are eligible for scholarships under the

Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC) is a bilateral assistance programme run by the Government of India. It is a demand-driven, response-oriented programme that focuses on addressing the needs of developing countries through in ...

. Many Uruguayan diplomats have received training in the Foreign Service Institute of India.

Cultural relations

In February 2011, the Uruguayan postal department issued a stamp honouring the 150th birth anniversary of

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

Indians in Uruguay

As of January 2016, about 83 Indians hold permanent residency in Uruguay. A further 733 Indians reside in the country on long-term visas, most of whom are employed by Tata Consultancy Services in Montevideo. A small number of Indians from the Gujarati and Sindhi communities work as importers and run retail outlets of Indian textiles and handicrafts in Uruguay.

References

External links

Embassy of India in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Embassy of Uruguay in New Delhi
{{DEFAULTSORT:India-Uruguay relations

Bilateral relations of Uruguay