(REOPENS FGN 11)

Khurshid arrived in Buenos Aires last evening and amongst his first engagements upon arrival was a call on Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. The one-on-one meeting lasted more than 30 minutes. Kirchner thanked India for its support to Argentina in the IMF censure voting as well as on the Malvinas issue. She directed Foreign Minister Timerman to identify issues of bilateral cooperation that need special handling in the official meeting scheduled to be held with Khurshid. Some of the issues to be focused at meeting include settling the issue of business visas to representatives of Indian Trade and Industry, agricultural cooperation, cooperation in the energy sector including oil and gas sectors. The Argentinian President fondly remembered her visit to India in 2009. She described Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a "sincere and honest leader", officials said. She requested Khurshid to convey her sincere gratitude to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. She expressed a keen desire that both India and Argentina should identify complementarities that exist between the two countries, and also identify specific action points of cooperation; thus formulating the building blocks towards starting a strategic partnership between the two countries, officials said.