Buenos Aires, 23 July 2022 (TDI): The Foreign Minister of Argentina, Santiago Cafiero received the Foreign Minister of Chile, Antonia Urrejola, in Buenos Aires on July 22. The Ministers met to advance joint projects for the development of Lithium.
🇦🇷🇨🇱 | Argentina y Chile avanzan en proyectos conjuntos para el desarrollo de litio.
El canciller Santiago Cafiero y su par chilena, Antonia Urrejola, trabajaron en la generación de una estrategia común de desarrollo de la cadena de valor. pic.twitter.com/ZbEziC4hkC
— Cancillería Argentina 🇦🇷 (@CancilleriaARG) July 22, 2022
Santiago Cafiero was accompanied by Luciana Tito, Gustavo Martínez Pandiani, Federico González Perini and Roberto Diez.
The Chile delegation included Barbara Figueroa Sandoval, Alex Wetzig, Andrés Villar and Abraham Quezada.
Proceedings of the Meeting
They discussed bilateral relations, especially areas concerning energy and mining issues related to joint projects for the development of lithium. The Foreign Ministers also worked to generate a common value chain development strategy.
“We addressed a variety of issues, to continue working on those that the Presidents have talked about, such as the Binational Committee, trade between both nations, productive chains, environment, energy and digital integration, renewable energies and the regional situation,” said Minister Antonia Urrejola.
Moreover, she stressed: “We continue to deepen our ties with Argentina. There is great closeness, and proof of this was the speech made by President Alberto Fernández at Mercosur which was very consistent with the speeches that President Gabriel Boric has made on regional integration”.
Santiago Cafiero mentioned that Argentina considers Chile a priority state and strategically important for its foreign policy. He also highlighted the current political harmony between the governments of presidents Alberto Fernández and Gabriel Boric.
Both sides agreed on a strategic view of developing lithium, focusing on the Argentina-Chile-Bolivia triangle. They also agreed to a future trilateral presidential meeting to progress on this issue.
The Ministers addressed the guidelines for future cooperation, highlighting the importance of environmental and social governance.
During the meeting, the Chilean Foreign Minister showed her country’s interest in learning about the Argentine experience with YPF Lithium (majority state-owned Argentine energy company). Both Foreign Ministers coordinated to bring together all the existing bilateral institutional mechanisms.
They also committed to continuing working on human rights, especially from the Argentine Presidency of the UN Human Rights Council.
Argentina-Chile Relations
Bilateral relations between the Republic of Chile and the Argentine Republic have existed for decades. Argentina and Chile share the world’s third-longest international border, which is 5,300 km long and runs from north to south along the Andes mountains.
Both countries gained their independence during the South American wars of liberation, during the 19th and the 20th century.
Chile and Argentina have never been engaged in a war with each other. Both states signed the Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1984 to establish friendly relations.
