New Delhi : India and Chile held their seventh round of Foreign Office Consultations during which both sides reviewed the entire gamut of their bilateral relations, and expressed satisfaction at the ongoing negotiations for the further expansion of the Preferential Trade Agreement.
The Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) were held in Santiago on September 14, with the Indian side led by Riva Ganguly Das, Secretary (East), and the Chilean side led by Carolina Valdivia Torres, Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chile.
During the consultations, both sides comprehensively reviewed the entire gamut of their bilateral relations which included trade and investments, defence, agriculture, health and pharmaceuticals, energy, space, cooperation in Antarctica, disaster management, cultural and consular issues, an official statement said on Wednesday.
Both sides exchanged views on the Covid-19 situation and the possibilities of enhancing trade and investment partnerships in the post-pandemic economic recovery.
Acknowledging that trade is an important pillar of India-Chile relations, the two sides expressed satisfaction at the ongoing negotiations for the further expansion of the Preferential Trade Agreement which was signed in 2006 and expanded in 2017.
Both sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues of common interest, including cooperation in the United Nations, and agreed to work closely with each other in the multilateral arena.
Both sides agreed to maintain the momentum of dialogue in areas of interest through the established bilateral mechanisms. Both sides agreed to hold the next round of FOCs in New Delhi.
