Rio de Janeiro, Nov 20 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Tuesday that India cherishes a close friendship with Argentina.

“Had an outstanding meeting with President Javier Milei of Argentina. India cherishes the close friendship with Argentina. Our Strategic Partnership marks 5 years, adding immense vibrancy to bilateral relations. We talked about enhancing ties in energy, defence production, trade and culture,” PM Modi wrote on X.

Earlier, PM Modi and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni acknowledged the significant potential of the India-Italy Strategic Partnership at the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

During their bilateral meeting on Monday, both leaders agreed to strengthen their collaboration and outlined a series of targeted, time-sensitive initiatives, along with a joint strategic action plan to advance this partnership, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

Prime Minister Modi's talks with Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni focused on enhancing the partnership between New Delhi and Rome in several important sectors.

On Tuesday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also described his talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "productive" as he announced plans to relaunch bilateral trade negotiations.

"A very productive meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Yesterday, we announced plans to relaunch UK-India trade talks. A new trade deal will support jobs and prosperity in the UK and represent a step forward in our mission to deliver growth and opportunity across the country," Starmer said in a post on X.

In the meeting that took place on the sidelines on the first day of the Rio G20 Summit, both leaders agreed to advance the UK-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The collaboration aims to elevate relations in trade and investment, security and defence, technology, climate action, health, and education, according to a statement released by 10 Downing Street.