Chile's Foreign Minister Visit to India Bolsters Bilateral Cooperation

The visit of Chile's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alberto van Klaveren, to India facilitated a review of bilateral cooperation and furthered the relationship between the two nations, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The Chilean foreign minister was in India from August 27-31 at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

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On August 28, Jaishankar and van Klaveren co-chaired the second India-Chile Joint Commission Meeting (JCM). They also met with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, inaugurated the Chile-India Business Agriculture Summit, and delivered a lecture at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), as stated by the MEA.

Strengthening Bilateral Relations

During the JCM, both ministers reviewed bilateral relations and discussed enhancing cooperation in various sectors. These included trade and investment, agriculture, critical minerals, digital public infrastructure, defence, railways, health and pharmaceuticals, science and technology, Antarctica and space, and people-to-people ties.

The meeting between Goyal and van Klaveren focused on deepening and diversifying bilateral trade and economic relations. They explored ways to strengthen economic ties between India and Chile.

Engagements in Mumbai

Van Klaveren's visit to Mumbai on August 29-30 included a tour of Tata Consultancy Services and the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) masala market. He also participated in a Chilean wine-tasting event.

Additionally, he spoke at the "Shooting in Chile" event, which highlighted Chile as a potential destination for Indian film productions. This event aimed to showcase the opportunities for collaboration in the film industry between the two countries.

Lecture at JNU

The MEA noted that van Klaveren delivered a lecture on Chile's foreign policy to diplomats, faculty, and students at JNU's School of International Studies. This lecture provided insights into Chile's international relations strategies.

The visit allowed both countries to exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. The ministers reiterated their commitment to closer cooperation in multilateral fora.

The visit of Foreign Minister van Klaveren provided an opportunity to review progress in bilateral cooperation and helped advance India-Chile ties further, according to the MEA.