G20 Summit 2018: Piñera meets May, Modi and Erdogan in Buenos Aires

December 1, 2018 Web Editor Comments Off on G20 Summit 2018: Piñera meets May, Modi and Erdogan in Buenos Aires

BUENOS AIRES – On Saturday afternoon Chile’s President Sebastian Piñera met British Prime Minister Theresa May on the sidelines of 13th G20 Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The two leaders discussed the political and commercial relationship between Chile and the United Kingdom in relation to the transition of current trading agreements post Brexit.

They expressed the strong historic ties between the two countries based on shared values and a commitment to free trade.

They welcomed the constructive discussions to date on transitioning the current EU-Chile Association Agreement and reaffirmed commitment on both sides to conclude the agreement swiftly.

The two leaders discussed ways to expand cooperation in the fields of trade, agriculture, energy, and science and technology.

President Piñera also met with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to discuss modernization of a free trade agreement between the two countries.

The commercial exchange between Chile and Turkey amounted to US $ 624 million in 2017, with exports to the European country for US$300 million.

The meeting was held within the framework of the G20 Leaders Summit in Buenos Aires, where the President has already held meetings with the leaders of India, Italy and the Netherlands.

In his meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chilean president discussed ways to enhance cooperation in several areas of mutual interests like trade, energy, agriculture and health. According to the Indian embassy in Chilean capital Santiago, Indian investment in the country amounts to about USD 216.25 million, while Chile’s investment in India amounts to $150.54 million.

Several Indian companies, including Jindal Steel Works, TCS, Godrej, Dr Reddy’s, Wipro Technologies, Tata Motors, Bajaj Auto and Mahindra & Mahindra, are operating in the Chilean market.

“Delighted to meet President @sebastianpinera. Chile is a valued partner in Latin America. There is a strong potential to deepen partnership in areas such as trade, agriculture, energy, healthcare as well as science and technology. This augurs well for the people of our nations,” Modi tweeted after the meeting.

Chile has an estimated Indian population of around 3,000, of which approximately 50 per cent have obtained Chilean nationality. The majority of the Indian-origin people in the Latin American country are from the Sindhi community, according to the Indian embassy in Santiago.

India: the new super player in Latin America

The G20, made up of 19 of the world’s most industrialized nations plus the EU, accounts for 85% of the world’s economic output and two-thirds of the world’s population. In addition to the 19 countries that make up the G20, Spain is a permanent invited guest. As the host, Argentina has also invited leaders from Chile and the Netherlands to attend this year’s summit.

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