'One of great leaders of world today': Argentine envoy Caucino wishes PM Modi on 76th birthday

New Delhi: Argentina's Ambassador to India, Mariano Caucino, on Thursday extended wishes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 76th birthday, describing him as "one of the great leaders of the world today".

Speaking to IANS, Ambassador Caucino noted that the ties between India and Argentina are moving in a "very positive way". Noting that India and Argentina have common values like democracy and respect for human dignity, he said that both nations have observed a convergence of national interests in the past 10 years.

On PM Modi's birthday, he said, "Our congratulations, our best wishes to the Honourable Prime Minister on his birthday. And on behalf of the government and the people of Argentina, our desire is for the government of India to continue this journey of success and progress, and in the name of the Prime Minister, also to the entire Indian people, to the Indian Republic, the largest country in the world in terms of population, for the success that you have been achieving and you are doing great."

PM Modi was born on September 17, 1950, in Gujarat's Vadnagar. He has served as the Prime Minister since May 26, 2014, being currently in his third term, making him the longest-serving elected Prime Minister of India. He was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014. This year also marks his 25 years in public life.

On how he sees India-Argentina ties, the Argentine envoy said: "In a positive way, in a very positive stage. We are growing to the extent that today India has become Argentina's fifth or sixth largest partner, depending on the month of the year. But this relationship is increasing so much based on the mutual benefit for the two countries. The two countries have been sharing common values like democracy and respect for human dignity, but in the last 10 years, they have observed a convergence of the national interests of both countries."

He expressed gratitude to PM Modi for visiting Argentina last year as it marked the first time in 57 years that an Indian Prime Minister travelled to the South American nation. He expressed Argentina's readiness to continue expanding ties with India.

On PM Modi completing 25 years in public service in October, he said: "He has great experience. He has been in power for a quarter of a century, first at the local level in Gujarat, in the state of Gujarat, and for the last 12 or 13 years in the national government. So I think the Prime Minister is one of the great leaders of the world today, and his global stature is an example of that."

"You have been having very good successes in this field. And in the case of Argentina, we are very grateful for his travelling to Argentina last year. It was the first time in 57 years of a Prime Minister going to Argentina on a bilateral trip, and so we are extremely happy with this and the possibility of continuing to expand this relationship that is called to be very, very important for India and for Argentina," he added.

PM Modi was on an official visit to Argentina in July last year, where he held talks with President Javier Milei. The two leaders agreed to diversify two-way trade and ramp up cooperation in defence, critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, energy and mining sectors. Argentina is a strategic partner of India since 2019, and the two countries celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations last year.

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