EAM Jaishankar meets Chilean FM Mackenna, discusses strengthening bilateral ties 

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Wednesday held bilateral discussions with his Chilean counterpart, Francisco Perez Mackenna, focusing on further strengthening the cooperation across various sectors.

In a post on X, EAM Jaishankar, "Delighted to meet FM Francisco Perez Mackenna of Chile this morning. Had a very good discussion on strengthening our bilateral cooperation to diversify markets and sourcing, promote export of priority items and facilitating the services economy."

"Agreed to work closely in plurilateral and multilateral formats," he added.

Mackenna arrived in India on May 9 for a seven-day official visit. "This visit will be a great opportunity to strengthen ties between Chile and India further. We look forward to deepening our partnership, expanding trade and investment opportunities, and advancing cooperation across a wide range of areas," he said in a post on X upon his arrival in New Delhi.

On Tuesday, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal held discussions over breakfast with Chile's Foreign Minister and members of the Chilean delegation.

Following the meeting, Goyal said India and Chile reviewed the progress of negotiations for the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral trade, investment and strategic cooperation between the two countries.

"Held a delightful discussion over breakfast today with H.E. Francisco Perez Mackenna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Chile, along with members of the Chilean delegation," he said.

"We reviewed the progress of CEPA negotiations and discussed ways to further deepen our trade, investment, and strategic partnership," Goyal mentioned.