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The four-day visit of Chile's Foreign Minister Francisco Perez Mackenna to India has imparted fresh impetus to the India-Chile partnership, with both sides agreeing to translate the current momentum into tangible outcomes, particularly in Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations, critical minerals cooperation and investment.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Chilean Foreign Minister visited India from May 11 to 14, accompanied by Vice Minister of International Economic Relations Paula Estevez Weinsteina and a delegation of representatives from prominent Chilean industries. During the visit, Mackenna held bilateral meetings with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, where the two sides reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation. The discussions reflected growing strategic and economic convergence between India and Chile, the MEA said. The visiting delegation also engaged with Indian industry counterparts to explore new opportunities for trade, investment, and commercial partnerships, underscoring mutual interest in expanding economic engagement. "Foreign Minister Mackenna was accompanied by a diverse business delegation representing key Chilean industries. The delegation engaged with Indian counterparts to explore new avenues for commercial partnerships and investment opportunities, reflecting strong mutual interest in expanding economic ties," the statement read. As part of his programme, the Chilean Foreign Minister visited Bengaluru on May 14, where he met the Karnataka Minister for Electronics and Information Technology and visited the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), a leading biotechnology and innovation hub. The engagements highlighted both countries' focus on strengthening cooperation in innovation, digital technologies, education, and knowledge exchange. According to the MEA, both sides welcomed the substantive progress in ongoing negotiations for the CEPA and directed negotiating teams to work towards an early conclusion of a balanced and forward-looking agreement. A key area of discussion was cooperation in critical minerals, where Chile's resource strengths and India's growing demand present significant opportunities. Both sides also explored long-term supply arrangements along with collaboration in processing, technology partnerships, and joint ventures. "Both sides welcomed the substantive progress in the ongoing negotiations for the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). They directed the negotiating teams to work towards an early conclusion of negotiations for a balanced and forward-looking agreement. A key focus of the discussions was on critical minerals cooperation, where Chile's strengths and India's growing demand present a natural partnership. Both sides explored ways for long-term supply arrangements as well as greater collaboration across the value chain, including processing, technology partnerships and joint ventures," the statement added. The two sides also exchanged views on regional and global developments and reiterated their shared commitment to multilateralism and strengthening cooperation among Global South partners. The MEA stated that the visit gave renewed momentum to India-Chile relations, with both countries committed to converting ongoing engagement into concrete outcomes in trade, investment, and strategic sectors. (ANI)
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