INDIA MEXICO in
A Monthly Newsletter | Vol. III, No. 2 | February 2019
Encuentro entre el Embajador Muktesh Pardeshi y el Secretario de Relaciones Exteriores, Marcelo Ebrard
Ambassador of the year 2018
An energetic relationship
India país invitado en Circuito Cultural Cuauhtémoc
In this Issue LEAD STORIES Encuentro entre Embajador Muktesh Pardeshi y el Secretario de Relaciones Exteriores, Marcelo Ebrard El Embajador de la India se reúne con el Subsecretario de Relaciones Exteriores Mr. Muktesh Pardeshi es nombrado Embajador del año Relaciones comerciales Mexico-India Ambassador of India participated in “México: A view from Abroad” by COMEXI Mahatma Gandhi Internet Resource Centre unveiled in Belize ITEC Day in Belize BUSINESS India-México Relaciones Económicas y Comerciales Bilaterales: La historia de crecimiento continúa Message from the President, India-Mexico Business Chamber An energetic relationship CULTURAL CONNECT Kumbh Mela 2019 India participa como país invitado en el Circuito Cultural Cuauhtémoc World Bicycle March for peace and friendship Reunión FIL Guadalajara, 2019 Mexico and India win at the Oscars 2019 Un viaje a la India en Guanajuato IN MEDIA Report on Mahatma Gandhi Internet Resource Centre in Orange Walk, Belize Where Made in Mexico meets Make in India Inauguran Circuito Cultural Cuauhtémoc Terror attack in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir Letter of condolences from the Indian Association of Mexico FORTHCOMING EVENTS
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Embassy of India
Musset No. 325, Col. Polanco, CDMX, 11550
Tels. 55 31 10 02/1050/4636/6638, 55 45-14 91, 52 03-4803 Fax: 52 54 23 49 Website: www.indiainmexico.gov.in Email: info.mexico@mea.gov.in To receive an electronic copy of this newsletter, please contact: library.mexico@mea.gov.in Muktesh K. Pardeshi, Ambassador Research, Edition and Design: Juhi Rai, Viviana Vizcaino Perea, Ricardo Pérez Torres
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Encuentro entre Embajador Muktesh Pardeshi y el Secretario de Relaciones Exteriores, Marcelo Ebrard
El Excmo. Señor Muktesh Pardeshi y el Secretario de Relaciones Exteriores, Excmo. Señor Marcelo Ebard Casaubón sostuvieron un encuentro en las instalaciones de la Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores. La reunió se da en un momento de especial importancia en las relaciones México-India. El año pasado, el comercio bilaterial rompió un nuevo récord, alcanzando los 10 mil millones de dólares, haciendo de India, el 8° socio comercial de México. Hablando de relaciones culturales, el 2018 también fue un año de crecimiento. India participó como el Invitado de Honor en el Festival Internacional Cervantino y este año, 2019, también será el Invitado de Honor en la Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara (FIL). En la reunión se tocaron estos temas, el estatus de “Asociación Privilegiada” de la relación México-India y la creciente presencia del país en México.
El Embajador de la India se reúne con el Subsecretario de Relaciones Exteriores El Embajador Muktesh Pardeshi y el Subsecretario de Relaciones Exteriores, Julián Ventura se reunieron para conversar sobre los avances de la relación bilaterale México-India
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Ambassador Muktesh Pardeshi has been named Ambassador of the year 2018 by Diplomatic Quarterly Mundo Internacional for his significant contributions towards all round expansion in India-Mexico relations. This is a proud moment for the entire team of the Embassy of India to Mexico and Gurudev Tagore Indian Cultural Centre.
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Ambassador of India participated in “México: A view from Abroad” by COMEXI
The Mexican Council of International Affairs (COMEXI) organized the panel of discussion “Mexico: A view from Abroad” in which Ambassador of India to Mexico, Muktesh Pardeshi participated along with the Ambassadors of Canada, Brazil, Germany and Ireland. The panel focussed on foreign policy discussions in a rapidly changing world.
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Mahatma Gandhi Internet Resource Centre unveiled in Belize
High Commmissioner of India to Belize, Muktesh Pardeshi unveiled the Mahatma Gandhi Internet Resource Centre at the Town Council of Orange Walk on 21 February. The Centre is dedicated to celebrations of 150th Birth Anniversary of Gandhi. The Centre has been provided with funding and assistance from India. It is open to all public and free of charge.
Do you know? The seat of Indian culture and struggle for independenceCalcutta has found its place in a land as far away as Belize. Calcutta is a village in the Corozal District of Belize. It is an early settlement founded by the sepoys who were sent by the Britishers to British Honduras after the Sepoy Mutiny in India in 1857. Calcutta
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Orange Walk
ITEC Day in Belize What is ITEC?
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 innovative technological cooperation between India and the partnering nation. Since its inception, the programme has spent over US$2billion and benefited thousands of students and professionals from around the globe. India Technical & Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Day was celebrated in Belize City on 21 February. The event was graced by the presence of the High Commissioner to Belize, Ambassador Muktesh Pardeshi, the Mayor of Belize City Hon. Bernard Wagner, the President of the University of Belize, Prof. Clement Sankat, the Honorary Consul of India in Belize, Mr. Arun Hotchndani, ITEC alumni and representatives of the Indian community. Several professionals from Belize have benefitted from the ITEC programme in various courses.
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An energetic relationship Ms. Rocio Garcia Nahle, Hon'ble Minister of Energy of Mexico participated in inauguration of the International conference Petrotech 2019 on 10 Feb, 2019 in New Delhi. She also had bilateral meeting with the Hon'ble Minister Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan to discuss further opportunities of collaboration in this sector. India is biggest importer of Mexican crude oil in Asia and third biggest in the world. On the sidines of Petrotech she had bilateral meetings with Mr. Sanjiv Singh, Chairman, Indian Oil Corporation and Mr. Shashi Shankar, Chairman, ONGC as well.
Earlier, on 8 Jan, 2019, the Ambassador of India met with the Minister of Energy to discuss her participation. She had earlier visited India in 2016 as the Secretary of the Energy Commission of the Senate of Mexico, in which she visited the refineries in Jamnagar and Mumbai. The present Government under the leadership of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador intends to establish a big refinery in Dos Bocas, Tabasco on similar lines as the Jamnagar refinery of Reliance.
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Kumbh Mela 2019 The Kumbh Mela is anchored in Hindu mythology as a collective act of faith and spirituality. It draws millions of pilgrims over the course of approximately 48 days to bathe at the sacred confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the mystical Sarasvati. Kumbh Mela is a religious pilgrimage that is celebrated four times over a course of 12 years. Kumbh 2019 is placed in Guiness Book of World Records in three sectors, which includes largest traffic and crowd management plan, biggest painting exercise of public sites under Paint My City scheme and biggest sanitation and waste disposal mechanism.
Global Participation under Kumbh 2019 The Government of India had invited representatives from all over the world to participate in this mega event which takes place once in 12 years in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Representatives from 182 countries participated in Kumbh 2019 and appreciated the legacy of cultural heritage showcased through Kumbh. Dr.Adrian Munoz Garcia, a Sanskrit scholar and Professor, El Colegio de Mexico represented Mexico and Mrs.Sylvia Lucia Perez, President of Corozal Organization of East Indian Culture Heritage represented Belize at Kumbh 2019 as part of Global Participation Programme. This opportunity provided a window to the mythological and social significance of the largest public gathering in the world. Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi expressed his regards to the delegates for being a part of the global celebrations of Kumbh 2019.
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India participa como país invitado en el Circuito Cultural Cuauhtémoc Artistas del Centro Cultural Gurudev Tagore se presentaron en el XXXIII Festival de Arte Textil en la Alcaldía Cuauhtémoc de la Ciudad de México los días 8 y 9 de febrero. El evento también incluyó una exhibición sobre Mahatma Gandhi, artesanías y comida de la India.
World Bicycle March for peace and friendship On the occasion of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Mr.Dnyaneshwer Ramadas Yeotkar has started “World Bicycle March for peace and friendship”. Throughout the bicycle tour, he aims to spread the message of Mahatma Gandhi to the world. He has covered over 38986 k.m. through India, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, U.S.A., and Cuba.Ambassador Muktesh Pardeshi met Mr. Yewatkar in the Embassy of India, Mexico City and wished him luck for his bicycle march starting from the Mahatma Gandhi statue, Chapultepec, Mexico.
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Reuniรณn FIL Guadalajara, 2019 India is the Guest of Honor country for this edition of FIL Guadalajara 2019. Ambasador Muktesh Pardeshi along with Director, GTICC attended a meeting with the scholars and indologists in Mexico to draw up a plan of action for FIL 2019. The meeting was also attended by Ms.Marisol Schultz, Director General of FIL.
Mexico and India win at the Oscars 2019
Roma won best foreign film, best director and best cinematography . Period. End of Sentence received the Oscar for Best Documentary (Short)
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TV Report on Mahatma Gandhi Internet Resource Centre in Orange Walk, Belize
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQjA2ihjFXs&feature=youtu.be India in Mexico • February 2019
Where Made in Mexico meets Make in India by India Inc. Staff
Rodrigo Blanco Zamora is the Director of ProMéxico India, Mexico’s investment promotion agency. In this interview, he lays out the attractiveness of the South American region to Indian investments and how the India-Mexico strategic partnership is a win-win for both emerging economies. What are some of the defining features of the “strategic partnership” between India and Mexico? Definitely India and Mexico share a multitude of social factors, such as food habits, dress styles and artistic forms, as a result of our early encounters that date back to the colonial period of the 16th century through the Manila Galleon Pacific trade route. Those early contacts have carried us to years of friendship and cooperation between the two nations that have grown steadily. Although, we have barely scratched the surface of the relationship between our two countries, we must work together in order to unlock our combined potential. As emerging economies, both countries have unique strategic capabilities that will allow us to take advantage of the current economic climate. As the “Made in Mexico” and “Make in India” initiatives show, our countries have faced similar situations and challenges, and thus have a lot of experiences that we can share with each other.
What are the kind of Indian investments being attracted by the country? Foreign investment is one of the main steps to enter the global market and, in recent times, India has taken the necessary steps to make its presence felt worldwide. In Mexico, the accumulated investment of India is estimated at $3 billion, through the 70 Indian companies (approx.) established in Mexican territory, which has been followed up by ProMéxico from the start of their investment projects, until they settle in our country, and through their development afterwards. The sectors with the best performance for Indian investments in Mexico are IT, pharmaceuticals and automotive. Most of the Indian companies find their home in the West North-Central region of the country, mainly of the automotive industry due to the incentives that the region offers and strategic location for the sector; 65 per cent of total investments during 2017 corresponded to this sector. Up today, Mexico is the second destination of Indian FDI in Latin America. Are there areas you would highlight where Indian companies can focus their future expansion plans? Growth and expansion are key goals for most business owners and entrepreneurs, and certainly, some of the most common areas to look forward are expand into new territories and target new customer markets. In this sense, Mexico is a strategic ally in the expansion plans of the world’s leading multinationals, because offers many competitive advantages, not least macroeconomic stability, a growing domestic market, legal certainty, a strategic geographic location, a skilled workforce and experience in medium- and high-technology manufacturing, which, together, constitute a unique, highly competitive platform for international trade and investment, confirming that Mexico is synonymous with opportunity. What are some of the policy attractions of investing in your region? The Mexican economy has opened itself up to foreign investments in the fields of telecommunications, public utiliIndia in Mexico • February 2019
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ties and petroleum, in which government owned companies started reducing their predominant position. The country is also planning a major expansion of infrastructure, including airport infrastructure, which could also attract foreign investors. The current evolution of political and financial reforms initiated in 2014 by the current government and the network of free trade agreements granting preferential access to 46 international markets, soon to increase considering the implementation of the CPTPP [Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership] by the end of this year, has greatly improved the economic situation in Mexico and has made of the country one of the emerging economies most open to foreign direct investment. Manufacturing, which is supported by exports, attracts almost 45 per cent of Mexico’s total FDI. These exports are aided by several programs of the Ministry of Economy, free trade agreements (USMCA, for instance the main target for investors) and the geographic positioning of Mexico (its proximity to North American countries and Latin America). As well, since 2014, the Mexican government has also been planning to create new industrial centers, which could encourage FDI. Additionally, since 2014, the Mexican government has also been planning to create new industrial centers (located in the southern states of Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas), which could encourage FDI. All these efforts from the Mexican government conveys into the positive recognition that Mexico has received for the ease of doing business though different global rakings in recent years and is perceived in the Mexican current economy. Mexico is the eight most attractive destinations for FDI in 2017, according to a PwC CEO Survey. How has the energy partnership of the two countries developed over recent years? The trade of oil and gas between India and Mexico is already a strong trade relation, India is the third-largest consumer of Mexico’s crude oil. In 2015, Dharmendra Pradhan, the Indian Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, made an official visit to Mexico, and in this year, the Deputy Secretary of Energy for Hydrocarbons of Mexico, Aldo Flores-Quiroga, visited India twice. Also recently, Mexico supported India’s bid to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group in a more emphatic gesture of support and collaboration to the Indian energy cause, and, both countries have an MoU on cooperation in the field of New and Renewable Energy, signed in 2008. I believe that, these actions taken by the two countries are demonstrative of the determination to improve trade in this sector. Is the goal set for a reciprocal trade and investment relationship on track? Steps are been given, such as the signature of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in SMEs (2006), which could had been a indicative clue for the path of the
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two countries who saw a high point in diplomatic relations in 2007 with the agreement of the Privileged Partnership, a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement and, in the same year as well, the Agreement for the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investment “APPRI”, an instrument that contribute to increase the diversification of investment flows between both countries. Since that year, there has been a substantial increase in bilateral trade between the two countries, with a current figure of $8.5 billion in bilateral trade that is expected to reach $10 billion by the end of this year. We are willing to keep nourishing our bilateral trade, and for that reason both governments have recently started the negotiation for grant phytosanitary protocols for agricultural products that will give mutual market access. In the last five years, ProMéxico has provided assistance globally for 820 FDI projects valued at more than $70 billion, and provided assistance to over 3,200 export projects to different countries valued at $13.35 USD billion . Also, in the last decade we have supported the internationalisation of over 200 Mexican companies in many countries, with an estimated economic impact of $7 billion. It is important to highlight that India has been in an integral part of this positive results; has become part of Mexico’s ten largest trading partners, and that our country is the main commercial partner to India from Latin America and the second most important in all the American continent, ahead of Canada and Brazil, and we look forward to keep working to depth in our relationship to reach our maximum potential. February 6th, 2019|2019, UK Edition – February 2019
Inauguran Circuito Cultural Cuauhtémoc Con mucho éxito y gran participación vecinal, se llevó a cabo la inauguración del Circuito Cultural Cuauhtémoc a cargo del alcalde Néstor Núñez López y del embajador de la India Muktesh K. Pardeshi, en la Plaza de las Vizcaínas, ubicada en la colonia Centro. Dichas actividades tuvieron como país invitado a la India y al estado de Oaxaca con la temática “Arte Textil”. “El adeudo que se tiene en esta demarcación territorial con el tema cultural es muy grande y estamos queriendo, con el inicio de este Circuito, una oportunidad de recuperar nuestras raíces. No se trata sólo acercar la cultura a los vecinos, sino también de apoyar a los productores culturales”, expresó Néstor Núñez, quien a la vez reiteró uno de sus compromisos más importantes hechos durante campaña. Este proyecto es organizado por la Dirección General de los Derechos Culturales, Recreativos y Educativos de la alcaldía Cauhtémoc, y constará de 33 festivales culturales en las diferentes colonias de la demarcación, con la intención de dar reconocimiento a las diferentes expresiones artísticas para quienes transitan y viven en la alcaldía. “Debemos darle la oportunidad a los colectivos culturales locales, nacionales y por supuesto extranjeros, el espacio y el lugar que se merecen. Debemos darles el reconocimiento y la oportunidad de presentar su arte ante miles y millones de personas”, expresó el alcalde de Cuauhtémoc. “Yo creo que México y la India son culturalmente hermanos, en 1950 México fue el primer país en reconocer la independencia de la india”, comentó K. Pardeshi durante la inauguración.
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Terror attack in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir
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Letter of Condolences from the Indian Association of Mexico
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Visa Tourism Helpline: 1800 111 363 Short code: 1363 @IndiaInMexico @GTICCMexico @IndEmbMexico @GTICCMEXICO
Embassy of India: info.mexico@mea.gov.in GTICC: gticc.mexico@mea.gov.in Embassy of India: 55 31 10 50 & 55 31 10 02 GTICC: 52 03 11 17 & 52 03 06 19 Embassy of India: Musset 325, Col. Polanco, 11550, CDMX GTICC: Anatole France 319, Col. Polanco, 11550, CDMX