NEW DELHI: PM Modi held talks with the visiting Paraguay President, Santiago Pena, underlining new opportunities for bilateral cooperation in areas including digital technology, critical minerals, energy, agriculture, healthcare, and defence. Modi also expressed deep appreciation for the South American country’s strong condemnation of Pahalgam terror attack, saying the two countries stood united in the fight against terrorism.The PM said there’s immense possibility of cooperation to fight against shared challenges such as cybercrime, organised crime, and drug trafficking. “Both leaders unequivocally condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all forms and manifestations. On behalf of all Paraguayans, Pena expressed his deep solidarity with victims and families of the terror attack,” said MEA secretary (east) P Kumaran.On trade and economic ties, Modi said India has a preferential trade agreement with MERCOSUR and the two sides can work together to expand it. MERCOSUR is a South American trading bloc originally comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay as member states.“India and Paraguay are integral parts of the Global South. Our hopes, aspirations and challenges are similar. And this is why we can learn from each other’s experiences to deal with challenges effectively,” said Modi, adding, “We are pleased that India could extend support to Paraguay by sharing its vaccines during Covid. We look forward to continuing this spirit of cooperation by sharing more of our capabilities.“The two sides also welcomed establishment of a joint commission mechanism at the secretary level.