MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Blinken discusses bilateral issues with Boric in Santiago

Boric said he had had a “very good conversation” with the top diplomat from President Joseph Biden's administration

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font Wednesday at the Palacio de la Moneda, in Santiago, to discuss further investments in the South American country, it was reported.

Before heading for Lima for the OAS' 52nd General Assembly, Blinken highlighted that “the 200th anniversary of US-Chile relations in 2023” was nearing. “We look forward to working closely to strengthen human rights, democracy, environmental protection, and renewable energy in the Americas,” he added on his social media.

Boric said he had had a “very good conversation” with the top diplomat from President Joseph Biden's administration, during which they reviewed environmental issues, trade, and the situation in Venezuela.

Chilean Foreign Minister Antonia Urrejola, who was also present during the meeting, said the Boric government was “working very hard” to obtain investments from several countries, and gave as an example President Boric's trips to Canada and the United States, as well as the negotiation to renew the trade agreement with the European Union (EU).

Urrejola added that several countries had shown their interest in “investing in renewable energies” in Chile and improving production chains. “We have a very open agenda in terms of investment and we are well on our way,” she stressed.

Blinken also welcomed Boric's critical stance against human rights violations by Nicolás Maduro's Venezuela and Daniel Ortega's Nicaragua. Boric and Blinken also agreed that talks between the Chavistas and the Venezuelan opposition should be resumed. Boric was among Latin American leaders to criticize Washington's decision not to invite Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela -- all under US sanctions -- to a Summit of the Americas held in Los Angeles. “We have to come together to have better development of our nations,” the Chilean leader said at the time, adding that “exclusion is not the way.”

“This is what we want as a country and we are in the same tune as the United States, other countries in the region, and other European countries: that talks resume so that in 2024 in Venezuela there can be free and democratic elections,” said Urrejola.

Blinken thanked Chile for its efforts to welcome Haitian migrants as the number of displaced people in the continent is on the rise and underlined that the United States and Chile had “shared priorities,” such as “building more equitable and inclusive economies... dealing with the issues that are front and center in the lives of our people.”