Annual Report 2011 - 2012

scholars and academicians who visited Chile during this
period were Prof. Sachchidanand Sahai, Dr Deveki Jain,
Prof. Leena Srivastava and Dr Y Venugopal Reddy, former
Governor of Reserve Bank of India.
Secretary (West), Shri M. Ganapathi, delivered an address
at the book launch of 'Chile in the age of Globalization-
Dialogue with India' on 19 December, 2011.
Colombia
Our bilateral relations with Colombia during the year were
underpinned by exchange of visits and conclusion of
important Agreements. The Minister of State for Mines, Shri
Dinsha J. Patel, visited Colombia from 1-4 May, 2011 and
met his counterpart Mr Carlos Rodado Noriega and signed
an MoU for Cooperation in Geology and Mining. During
the visit, he called on Vice President, Mr Angelino Garzón
and met Mr Sergio Díaz-Granados, Minister of Commerce,
Industry and Tourism, and Mrs. María Constanza García
Botero Colombian, Vice Minister of Infrastructure.
Secretary (Steel), Shri Pradeep Kumar Misra, led a delegation
of public sector companies to Colombia in June 2011.
Secretary (West), Shri Vivek Katju, visited Colombia from
July 9-12, 2011 for Foreign Office Consultations with his
counterpart Vice Foreign Minister, Ms. Monica Lanzetta.
Commerce Secretary, Shri Rahul Khullar, led a 10-member
EEPC delegation to Colombia from 31 August-2 September,
2011 for the first meeting of India-Colombia Joint Business
Council. Vice Foreign Minister Ms Monica Lanzetta visited
India from 31 October-4 November, 2011 and held talks
with Secretary (West), Shri M Ganapathi, to review the
progress of the bilateral institutional mechanisms.
The bilateral Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement was
signed in New Delhi in May 2011. A 32-member Chemexcil
delegation visited Colombia on 11-12 August to explore
business opportunities in Colombia and staged the Indian
Chemical Exhibition. A 10- member business delegation from
Colombia also participated in the India-LAC Pharma Meeting
organised by Pharmexcil in Hyderabad in September 2011.
An ICCR-sponsored 10- member Avishkar Gujarati Folk
Dance Troupe visited Colombia to participate in the fiveday
Dance and Gastronomy Festival of India from 21-25
November. India donated a bronze bust of Mahatma
Gandhi to the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation, in Medellin,
the second largest city in Colombia.
Ecuador
India's relations with Ecuador received fresh momentum with
the visit of the Minister of State for External Affairs, Shri E
Ahamed, from 1-3 May, 2011 for the Third India-Ecuador
Ministerial Foreign Office Consultations with his counterpart
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Vice Foreign Minister of Ecuador, Mr Ledo Kinto Lucas. He
called on Vice President, Mr Lenin Voltaire Moreno Garces,
and met with the Foreign Minister, Mr Ricardo Patino, and
the Defence Minister, Mr Javier Ponce Cevallos. A Defence
Cooperation Agreement was signed during the visit. Under
Secretary General of the Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, Mr
Rafael Quintero, visited India from 18-20 February, 2012
and met with Secretary (West), Shri M Ganapathi.
Guyana
India and Guyana remained actively engaged in development
cooperation during the year. Secretary (West), Shri Vivek
Katju, led the Indian delegation to the third round of India-
Guyana Foreign Office Consultations in Georgetown on 15
July, 2011 with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Carolyn
Rodrigues-Birkett. During the visit, he called on President
Bharrat Jagdeo, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and Finance
Minister Ashni Singh. EXIM Bank approved the contract
between Surendra Engineering Corporation Ltd, India and
Ministry of Agriculture, Guyana, for supply and installation
of Irrigation Pumps under Government of India's Line of
Credit of US$ 4 million in Guyana. Further, another Line
of Credit of US$ 19 million for construction of a Super
Specialty Hospital in Guyana was approved during the year.
Mexico
The Americas
The India-Mexico 'Privileged Partnership' gained momentum
during the year with regular exchange of high-level visits.
Speaker of Lok Sabha, Smt. Meira Kumar, led an Indian
Parliamentary delegation to Mexico from 11-14 April, 2011
and called on President Calderon of Mexico. She also
interacted with members of the Chambers of the Congress,
President of the Senate Mr Manlio Fabio Beltrones Rivera
and President of the Chamber of Deputies Mr Jorge Carlos
Ramirez Marin. The Foreign Minister of Mexico, Ms Patricia
Espinosa, visited India for the 12th Delhi Sustainable
Development Summit from 30 January-2 February, 2012.
During the visit, she met the External Affairs Minister, the
National Security Advisor, and the Ministers of State for
Environment and Forests and Rural Development.
Amongst the other important visits to India from Mexico
were that of the Governor of the Central Bank of Mexico,
Mr Agustin Carstens, on 10 June, 2011 and Mexican Vice
Minister for Agriculture, Mr Mario Ruiz Funes, from 18-24
September, 2011.
Visits from our side to Mexico were that of Karnataka
Minister of Industries, Shri Murugesh R Niran, from 8-10
May, 2011; National Defence College (NDC) delegation led
by Commandant Air Marshal P K Roy to Cancun and
Mexico City from 21-28 May, 2011; Election Commissioner,