New Delhi, Dec 9 (IANS) India and Chile have reiterated their strong commitment to the timely conclusion of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations, acknowledging the strategic significance of further strengthening bilateral economic ties.

The 4th round of negotiations for the India–Chile CEPA concluded successfully and the five-day round witnessed intensive and constructive engagement between the delegations of India and Chile, resulting in substantial progress across the chapters under negotiation, according to Commerce Ministry.

As part of the engagements, Claudia Sanhueza, Treasury Undersecretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile, met Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.

“They underscored that the CEPA, once concluded, would play a pivotal role in boosting bilateral trade, deepening economic cooperation, enhancing market access and creating new opportunities for businesses in both countries,” said the ministry.

Earlier, the third round of India–Chile CEPA negotiations was held in Santiago, Chile, from October 27-30. Discussions covered a wide range of chapters including Trade in Goods and Services, Investment Promotion, Rules of Origin, Intellectual Property Rights, TBT/ SPS measures, Economic Cooperation and Critical Minerals.

Last month, India and Chile held their 9th Foreign Office Consultations in Santiago, agreeing to further strengthen cooperation in key areas, including trade, investment, connectivity, health and pharmaceuticals, traditional medicines, science and technology, mining and mineral exploration, defence, civil nuclear technologies, education, space, agriculture and people-to-people exchanges.

India requested Chile to consider long term agreements for supply of mineral resources. During the meeting, the officials of two nations agreed to diversify bilateral ties in new and emerging areas of contemporary relevance such as Digital Public Infrastructure, innovation and green energy, a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

—IANS

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