The foreign ministers of Argentina, Diana Mondino, and Chile, Alberto van Klaveren, held a meeting this Friday (09.08.2024/XNUMX/XNUMX) in Santiago to advance issues on the bilateral agenda.
The Chilean Foreign Ministry explained in a statement that the authorities "addressed the most relevant issues of the bilateral relationship, mainly the commemoration, in November, of the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship."
This treaty was signed in 1984 after the mediation process by the Vatican, Chile and Argentina agreed on the limit in the Beagle Channel area, definitively resolving the situation that brought them to the brink of war in December 1978.
“We have reviewed a number of bilateral issues. This is a fundamental relationship for Chile, very important, and covers practically all areas of a bilateral relationship,” said Van Klaveren at the end of the meeting.
In parallel, the Argentine Foreign Ministry indicated in another statement that the ministers "agreed on the need to redouble efforts in terms of integration and border facilitation, including the use of new technologies and ports, in order to optimize the movement of goods and people along the more than 5.000 kilometers of land border."
Both nations periodically hold Border Integration Committee meetings between the bordering provinces and regions and high-level technical meetings to optimize the operation and infrastructure of the 78 international crossings.
In economic terms, Foreign Minister Mondino expressed Argentina's interest in continuing to work to expand trade flows of goods and services, as well as diversify the exportable supply. She also noted the reforms implemented by the government in economic and trade matters, highlighting the VI Meeting of the Binational Commission on Trade and Investments that took place last April at the San Martín Palace, on which occasion a full work agenda was consolidated.
Foreign Trade
Trade with Chile stands out as Argentina's largest trade surplus for the seventh consecutive year.
In 2023, the surplus was USD 4.217 million, based on exports of USD 4.950 million (minus 1,4% compared to 2022) and imports of USD 733 million (minus 5,8% compared to 2022).
The main export item to Chile in 2023 was fuels and mineral oils, which totaled around USD 1.640 billion (33.2%). The gas natural as the main exported product, accumulating USD 753 million (8,64% more than in 2022).
In the first six months of 2024, the surplus in goods was USD 2.550 billion, due to USD 2.835 billion in exports and USD 285 million in imports.
Participants
At the meeting, Mondino was accompanied by the Secretary of International Economic Relations, Marcelo Cima, and the Argentine ambassador to Chile, Jorge Faurie.
The Chilean delegation that accompanied Foreign Minister van Klaveren was made up of the Chilean Ambassador in Buenos Aires, José Antonio Viera Gallo; the Secretary General for Foreign Policy, Rodrigo Olsen; the director of the South American Division, Ricardo Bosnic; and the Director of Bilateral Economic Affairs, Sebastian Gomez Fielder.
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