At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font is on a State visit to India from April 1-5, 2025, marking 76 years of diplomatic relations. This visit, his first to India since their meeting at the G20 Summit in November 2024, includes key ministers and business leaders. Upon arrival, Boric received a ceremonial welcome, followed by bilateral discussions at Hyderabad House and a banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu.
Emphasizing historical ties established in 1949, the leaders discussed enhancing their multifaceted relationship, focusing on trade, health, defense, and green energy. They highlighted trade as a cornerstone of their relations, celebrating the 2017 India-Chile Preferential Trade Agreement’s positive impacts and committing to strengthen trade mechanisms and business interactions.
Boric recognized India as a priority partner for Chile, advocating for strategies to diversify trade, and both leaders marked the signing of Terms of Reference and initiated negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to deepen economic integration. Boric announced a Multiple Entry Permit for Indian businesspersons to streamline visa processes, a move welcomed by Modi.
They also stressed the importance of people-to-people connections for promoting tourism and academic exchanges while recognizing India’s flexible visa regime for Chileans. Discussions on critical minerals aimed to strengthen collaboration in exploration and processing, along with cooperation in health, space, and agriculture, reinforcing ties in pharmaceuticals while addressing market access and recognizing the Indian Pharmacopoeia in Chile.
Leaders from India and Chile underscored the importance of traditional medicines and Yoga in promoting health, instructing officials to promptly finalize a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support sustainable lifestyles. They committed to jointly advance evidence-based integrative medicine, Homeopathy, and Yoga, while Chile welcomed Indian investment in railway infrastructure projects.
In defense, both nations encouraged expanded collaborative efforts, including capacity building and industrial partnerships, with India prioritizing training for Chilean military personnel at various defense institutions. A Letter of Intent to enhance Antarctic cooperation was signed, fostering collaboration in conservation and academic exchanges related to Antarctic policies, while pledging to deepen scientific understanding of the region.
Both countries celebrated the adoption of the Agreement on Marine Biodiversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), recognizing its importance for marine biodiversity conservation and emphasizing a unified approach from the Global South in multilateral initiatives.
Recalling their space partnership, leaders noted India’s launch of Chile’s SUCHAI-1 satellite in 2017 and the establishment of a Space Executive Committee in Chile to promote collaboration in space exploration and satellite development.
They acknowledged the dynamic IT and digital technology sectors, stressing the need for synergies to foster investment and technological advancements, especially regarding Digital Public Infrastructures. Commitments were made to strengthen ties between startup ecosystems in both countries and to move towards formalizing this collaboration for mutual benefit.
