India, Paraguay hold first joint commission meeting in Asuncion
New Delhi, Nov 15: India and Paraguay held the inaugural session of their Joint Commission Mechanism (JCM) in Asuncion, marking a renewed push to expand cooperation across a wide range of sectors.
The meeting was co-chaired by Paraguay’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Víctor Verdun, and India’s Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Periasamy Kumaran, and attended by senior officials from several Paraguayan ministries.
Both sides reviewed the state of bilateral ties, noting fresh momentum following Paraguayan President Santiago Peña’s recent State Visit to India, which they described as a milestone in political dialogue and cooperation. India also welcomed the creation of a Parliamentary Friendship Commission for India in Paraguay’s Senate.
The agenda covered political and economic relations, technology, infrastructure, energy, education, health, trade and investment, aviation, tourism, space, sustainable development and water resources, along with exchanges on multilateral issues. The two sides identified priority areas for deeper collaboration, including agriculture, renewable energy — particularly solar power — biofuels, ICT and cybersecurity, public health, education and skills training, civil aviation, railways, water management, sustainable development and space cooperation.
The delegations underscored the need to strengthen high-level political engagement, expand official exchanges and advance negotiations on pending bilateral instruments. They noted significant potential to grow trade and investment in renewable energy, agribusiness, pharmaceuticals, ICT, biofuels and light manufacturing. Paraguay conveyed its willingness to encourage Indian investment and discussed ways to simplify consular and administrative procedures for Indian businesses.
Both sides agreed that the pending Cultural Exchange MoU for 2023–27 is ready for signature. Paraguay also announced plans to formalize its membership in the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and begin procedures to join the International Big Cat Alliance; India welcomed these steps. Reaffirming that terrorism remains a grave threat to global security, the two countries committed to enhancing cooperation on security and cybersecurity.
