7th Foreign Office Consultations between India and Chile were held on September 14, 2021 in Santiago.
Highlights
- India was represented by Secretary (East) in Ministry of External Affairs Riva Ganguly Das.
- Chile was represented by Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ms. Carolina Valdivia Torres.
- During the Consultations, both sides reviewed their bilateral relations including trade & investments, agriculture, defence, health & pharmaceuticals, space, energy, disaster management, cooperation in Antarctica, cultural & consular issues.
- They also exchanged talks on COVID-19 situation and possibilities of enhancing trade & investment partnerships in post covid-19 pandemic economic recovery.
Preferential Trade Agreement
- They noted trade as an important pillar of India-Chile relations and were satisfied with the ongoing negotiations for further expansion of Preferential Trade Agreement.
- Preferential Trade agreement was signed in 2006 and expanded in 2017.
- They also exchanged their views on regional and international issues on common interest such as cooperation in the United Nations.
- They agreed to work closely on multilateral arena.
India- Chile Relations
Chile acts as window to Latin America and to Pacific Alliance for India. It is the fifth largest trading partner of India across the Latin American region. Both the countries signed the Preferential Trade Agreement in 2017 in order to enhance the trade. Bilateral trade between both the countries is growing with time. Both the countries are partners in International Solar Alliance as well. In 2019, 70th year of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations was commemorated.