Santiago de Chile, October 5 (EFE).- After meeting with the Chilean President, Gabriel Boric, the Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, promised this Wednesday to work to increase American investments in the Andean country with the independence of the result of the constituent process.

Boric described on Twitter as “a very good conversation” the meeting he had with the head of the American diplomacy in La Moneda, the Chilean presidential seat, where they showed harmony on the environment, trade and the situation in Venezuela.

In a subsequent press conference with Chilean Foreign Minister Antonia Urrejola, Blinken said his government was “studying ways to increase American investment” in the Latin American country.

Particularly in the field of the green economy, since Chile has shown “leadership” in the fight against the climate crisis.

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

This is how Blinken responded when asked by the press about how the constitutional process that Chile is going through, which a month ago rejected by an overwhelming majority the proposal for a new Constitution during a referendum, can affect investments in the country.

The secretary said it was not his place to comment on Chilean politics, as this is an issue that only concerns the Chilean people, and stressed that there are “huge business and investment opportunities ” in the country.

“The relationship is already strong in terms of trade and investment, but we are confident that it can grow and become even stronger,” he summed up.

Sobre este tema, la ministra chilena aseguró que su Gobierno está “trabajando muy fuertemente” para conseguir inversiones de varios pays, y puso como ejemplo los viajes del presidente Boric a Canada ya Estados Unidos, así como la negociación para renovar el acuerdo comercial con la European Union.

Urrejola assured that several countries have shown interest in “investing in renewable energy” in Chile and improving production chains.

“We have a very open investment program and we are on the right track,” he said.

THEY DEMAND MADURO TALK TO THE OPPOSITION

Despite the ideological differences with Boric, a former student leader who became the youngest president in the country’s history in March, Washington salutes his commitment to the environment and human rights.

Specifically, it celebrates Boric’s criticism of human rights abuses committed by the governments of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela and Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua.

Boric and Blinken discussed the Venezuela issue at the meeting, where both agreed that talks between the Maduro government and the opposition, which broke off last year in Mexico, should resume.

“This is what we want as a country and we are on the same wavelength as the United States, other countries in the region and other European countries: that the talks resume so that in 2024, there may be free and democratic elections in Venezuela,” Urréjola said.

Regarding the ideological differences between the United States and many of the Latin American countries that have leaned to the left in recent years, Blinken said “every country’s context is different.”

But he promised to work with all governments to “deliver results for the people”.

WORKING FOR THE VISA PROGRAM

The issue of immigration, which worries the government of Joe Biden due to the record number of arrivals at the border, is one of the main issues of the tour that Blinken undertook this week through Colombia, Chile and Peru.

Blinken thanked Chile for its efforts to welcome Haitian migrants.

Chile is also the only country in the region to have a visa extension program that allows its nationals to travel to the United States for tourism or business without applying for a visa.

This program is under review, but Boric and Blinken did not discuss the matter at the meeting.

Urrejola, however, said both governments were working on it and were “very well on their way” to expanding the program.

“We want to keep it and our countries are working for it,” the secretary said in this regard.

Eduard Ribas and Admetlla

Aranza