This article covers the political relationship between India and Paraguay: the establishment of diplomatic relations, visits at the level of President, Vice President and minister, the dialogue mechanisms between the two governments, and parliamentary links. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of June 2026, and events and office holders are given as that brief records them.
Establishment of relations
According to the MEA brief of June 2026, diplomatic relations between India and Paraguay were established in 1961. The brief notes that the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations is being celebrated in 2026.
Resident missions
The Embassy of India in Asuncion started its operations on 27 January 2022, and its building was inaugurated during the visit of the External Affairs Minister in August 2022, described below. Paraguay's Embassy in New Delhi, and its honorary consulates in India, are covered in the practical guide.
State Visit of President Peña, 2025
At the invitation of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the President of Paraguay, H.E. Mr. Santiago Peña Palacios, paid a State Visit to India on 2-4 June 2025. His delegation included the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ruben Ramirez Lezcano, and the Minister of Industry & Commerce, Mr. Javier Giminez. President Peña visited New Delhi and Mumbai during the visit, and the MoU for establishment of the India-Paraguay Joint Commission Mechanism was signed.
Earlier presidential and vice-presidential visits
The President of Paraguay, H.E. Mr. Fernando Lugo, visited India in May 2012. He was accompanied by the Paraguayan Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture & Animal Husbandry, and Commerce, besides senior officials.
Vice President of India Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu paid an official visit to Paraguay on 5-7 March 2019. The Vice President was accompanied by a high-level delegation that included the Minister of State for Tourism, Shri K.J. Alphons, Member of Parliament Shri R. K. Kashyap, and senior Government officials.
Ministerial visits
External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar paid an official visit to Paraguay on 21-22 August 2022. EAM and the Foreign Minister of Paraguay, H.E. Amb Julio Cesar Arriola, jointly inaugurated the Embassy of India building in Asuncion during the visit. EAM also called on the President of Paraguay, H.E. Mr. Mario Abdo Benitez.
Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs, visited Paraguay on 2-4 November 2023.
Telephone contacts
During the COVID-19 pandemic, EAM held telephone conversations with Paraguayan Foreign Ministers in 2020 and 2021, which were followed by Indian assistance described in the companion article on development partnership and cooperation.
Dialogue mechanisms
Foreign Office Consultations between the two countries were institutionalised by the signing of an MoU in 2002. The brief records three rounds:
- First round: Asuncion, October 2010
- Second round: New Delhi, August 2015
- Third round: Asuncion, December 2021
No later round of Foreign Office Consultations is recorded in the brief.
The MoU for establishment of the India-Paraguay Joint Commission Mechanism (JCM) was signed in June 2025, during President Peña's State Visit. The first meeting of the JCM was held on 14 November 2025 in Asuncion.
Parliamentary links
A Paraguayan Parliamentary Delegation visited India in 2010, and an Indian Parliamentary Delegation visited Paraguay in 2012.
The National Congress of Paraguay has established a Parliamentary Friendship Group with India in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Chamber of Senators. According to the brief, the group in the Chamber of Senators was established on 22 October 2025.
Paraguay and India-led initiatives
The brief records Paraguay's membership of several international initiatives led by India. Paraguay joined the International Solar Alliance as its 100th member on 26 June 2024, and became a full founding member of the Global Biofuel Alliance on 22 January 2025. It became the 53rd member of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure in December 2025, and signed the Framework Agreement of the International Big Cat Alliance on 19 March 2026.