Santiago: President Ram Nath Kovind discussed Monday wide ranging issues of mutual interest with his Chilean counterpart Sebastian Pinera as the two sides signed three MoUs in the fields of mining, culture and disability. Kovind, who arrived here Sunday after visiting Bolivia and Croatia, is on the last leg of his three-nation visit.
“President Pinera and I had a wide ranging discussion on all issues of mutual interest. We exchanged views and assessments of our respective neighbourhoods and regions,” the Indian President told reporters here.
Thanking Pinera for his strong condemnation of the Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, the President said the two countries have agreed to work together to strengthen global response to defeat and destroy terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and hold those responsible, accountable for their brutality against humanity.
India offered training slots to Chilean armed forces in the premier defence institutions including for courses in mountain warfare and peacekeeping. The two nations also agreed to explore opportunities for other cooperation in the defence sector. “The two countries should also seize the opportunity to jointly manufacture defence equipment,” Kovind stated.
Noting that the bilateral relations between India and Chile are on an ‘upward curve’, Kovind said, “Today (Monday) we have signed three MoUs in the fields of mining, culture and disability. These would further enhance our engagement in economic, social and cultural fields.”
Chile is the sixth largest trading partner of India in the Latin American region. The bilateral trade between the two nations registered an impressive increase of 50 per cent in 2017-18, to reach USD 2.8 billion.
Kovind stated he is hopeful that the ‘India-Chile Preferential Trade Agreement’ with increased tariff lines would further contribute towards enhancement of bilateral trade.
The President invited Chilean companies to invest in Indian mining, infrastructure, defence and food processing sectors under ‘Make in India’, ‘Smart Cities’ and ‘Digital India’ programmes.
PTI