India-Mexico: A new high

India's new ambassador to Mexico Rajiv Bhatia was able to present his credentials to President Vicente Fox on September 28, barely three weeks after his arrival, and that too despite the fact that Fox was to leave for an official visit to Canada the next day.

 

"The fact that I was able to present my credentials so soon after my arrival is an indicator of the warmth and mutual respect in our relationship," Bhatia said in a telephone interview. "Our initial impressions are very positive. Clearly, Mexico is an important and influential country for India, very friendly and cooperative. By the same token, India also enjoys the reputation of being a good friend to Mexico," said Bhatia, who was earlier ambassador to Myamnar.

 

Soon after his arrival in Mexico, Bhatia was invited to Guadalajara (Jalisco) for the inauguration of  'Jalisco-India Week', which is currently being celebrated there 'in pursuance of the Jalisco-Asia University Enterprise Linkage Program'. 

 

According to Bhatia, Jalisco State Governor Francisco Javier Ramirez Acuna initiated the program, which was 'a bold and enticing vision' of deepening Mexico's relations with India and other Asian countries. Acuna  had visited India, China, Singapore, South Korea and Japan last year.

 

At the inaugural function, Bhatia spoke at Itesco University on 'India: Present Perspective and Future Prospects'. Governor Ramirez and Mexico's Education Minister, Luis Guillermo Martinez Mora, were among the audience.

 

'We deeply appreciate the initiative taken by the Governor and hope that the education and business relationship would progress steadily, bringing greater benefit to both our countries,' Bhatia said. 

 

In his speech after presenting his credentials to President Fox at the presidential palace, Bhatia said, "There's are age-old and deep-rooted similarities between India and Mexico in terms of culture, thinking, history, academics and the history of political interaction at the highest levels. Therefore, there's a backdrop of close interaction in the field of literature, culture, etc."

 

Therefore, "Our endeavour will be very clearly to diversify and deepen the relationship in all fields - political, economic, cultural, science and technology, trade and economic cooperation."

 

India-Mexico bilateral trade is up from $348 million in 2000 to US$ 1.325 billion last year, an increase of 280

percent in four years. "This has turned India into the eight largest market for Mexican exports. India is now one of the top 25 suppliers for Mexico," Bhatia said at Itesco University. India's direct foreign investment in Mexico has touched $1.6-billion, spread over 60 joint ventures 'in areas such as IT, pharmaceuticals and engineering'.

 

Bilateral relations have 'been marked by warmth, friendship and commonality of views on a range of issues. There has been no direct conflict of interests between the two countries,' he added, noting that Mexico 'was the first country in Latin America to establish diplomatic relations with India.'

 

He was confident India would 'receive great support, as we have in the past, from the Mexican government and also from the civil society because it is a rich culture and they are going to be able to help us'.

 

Besides 'India Week' celebrations in Guadalajara, Bhatia spoke of the Indian Engineering Exhibition to be held October 12-14 in  Mexico City in which 200 Indian businessmen are expected to participate. 

 

"The world is witnessing a transformation and, at this time, we need great solidarity amongst like-minded nations such as India and Mexico. Speakers at the India Week celebrations all highlighted the question of driving benefits from India's rapid stride in IT, biotechnology, S&T and other fields."

 

Bhatia said he told the audience at Itesco University that 'we attach a high degree of importance to opposing the global scourge of terrorism; attach considerable importance to the goal of nuclear non-proliferation, and India is committed to strengthening the multilateral trading system (and so) we will work with all our partners for a successful outcome of the Doha round.'

 

The Indian ambassador credited Mexico for India's current food production of 600 million tonnes annually.

 

"Our Green Revolution has a strong and direct relation to Mexico because high yielding varieties of wheat and other seeds used in India were taken from Mexico, a country that has hosted many agricultural scientists from India," he explained. 

Bhatia was India's Consul-General in Toronto from 1994 to 1998, then India's ambassador to Kenya and, later, Myanmar.