Santiago [Chile], March 25 (ANI): Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font will make a state visit to India from March 30 to April 6, marking the first visit by a Chilean head of state to the country in 16 years. The visit aims to strengthen political and economic ties, with a particular emphasis on trade diversification and investment collaboration with the world's fifth-largest economy, an official press release by the Government of Chile reported.

President Boric will be accompanied by an official delegation comprising government officials, parliamentarians, and representatives from the business, education, culture, and agribusiness sectors. The visit will cover New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore, where discussions and agreements will focus on investment, technology transfer, and economic cooperation.

Upon arrival in New Delhi on April 1, the Chilean President will hold meetings with Indian leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu. A key component of the visit will be a business forum featuring industry representatives from both nations, aimed at expanding trade and investment opportunities. The discussions will seek to enhance economic relations, promote Chile as a key trade partner, and explore new areas of collaboration in business and innovation.

In Mumbai, President Boric will lead commercial events, including a high-level meeting with executives from Indian and Chilean agri-food industries. Additionally, he will participate in 'Shoot in Chile,' an initiative designed to position Chile as a prime location for international film productions.

The final leg of the visit will take place in Bangalore, where the President will attend the Innovation Summit on April 4. The summit will focus on deepening exchanges in technology and innovation, leveraging India's expertise in these sectors. The President and his delegation will engage in discussions to facilitate cooperation between Chilean and Indian enterprises in emerging industries. Boric is scheduled to return to Santiago on April 6.

The Chilean delegation will include key ministers such as Foreign Affairs Minister Alberto van Klaveren, Finance Minister Mario Marcel, Agriculture Minister Esteban Valenzuela, Mining Minister Aurora Williams, Women and Gender Equality Minister Antonia Orellana, and Culture, Arts, and Heritage Minister Carolina Arredondo. Undersecretaries of International Economic Relations and Economy, Claudia Sanhueza and Javiera Petersen, will also participate, as per the press release.

Among the senior officials joining the visit are Jose Miguel Benavente, Executive Director of Corfo; Karla Flores, Director of Invest Chile; Maximo Pacheco, President of Codelco; Daniel Hojman, President of BancoEstado; Ignacio Fernandez, Director of ProChile; and Pablo Zamora, President of Fundacion Chile.

A cross-party parliamentary delegation will also take part in the visit, including Senate President Jose Garcia Ruminot, Senators Alejandra Sepulveda, Loreto Carvajal, and Luciano Cruz-Coke, as well as Representatives Gael Yeomans, Jorge Alessandri, Raul Leiva, and Victor Pino.

The business delegation will feature industry leaders such as Rosario Navarro, President of SOFOFA; Vicente Astorga, President of the National Chamber of Laboratories; Alvaro Ananias, President of the Biobio Chamber of Production and Commerce; Fernando Cortez, General Manager of the Antofagasta Industrial Association; and Jorge Guerrero, President of the Chilean-Indian Chamber of Commerce.

In the cultural sector, the delegation will include Alexandra Galvis, Vice President of the Association of Film and Television Producers; Paula Ossandon, Director of the Chilean Documentary Corporation; Rodrigo Terreros, Coordinator of the Atacama Film Commission; and Jennifer Mayani, a Chilean-Indian actress with experience in Bollywood.

The education sector will be represented by Marcelo Pacheco from the Fenix Robotics team at Abdon Cifuentes Comprehensive High School, Antonio Briones from Emilia Lascar Elementary School, Dorotea Lopez, Director of the Institute of International Studies at the University of Chile, and Elisa Marzuca, founder of Padma Yoga School. Also attending will be Susana Urrutia, a surgeon with expertise in Ayurvedic medicine, and Roxana Nahuelcura, a biology teacher at Liceo 1 Javiera Carrera.

Representatives from the agri-food sector will include Juan Esteban Rodriguez, President of Chilenuts; Antonio Walker, President of the National Agricultural Society; Ivan Marambio, President of Frutas de Chile; Froilan Flores, President of the Confederation of Free Markets (ASOF); Angelica Valenzuela, Commercial Director of Vinos de Chile; Juan Carlos Dominguez, President of ChileCarne; and Margarita Cuellar, General Secretary of the Association of Cooperatives of Chile.

In the innovation sector, delegates will include Daniel Dacarett, Director of Emprende Tu Mente; Komal Dadlani, CEO of Lab4U; Manuel Rozas, CSO and Founder of Kura Biotech; Sol Besprosvan, General Manager of Tata Consultancy Services Chile; Constanza Levican, President of Climatech; Christopher Schiess, Director of Business Growth at The Ganesha Lab; Magdalena Guzman, Executive Director of the Chilean Venture Capital Association; and Martin Andrighettti, an engineer recognised for winning TCS Olympus in Mumbai. (ANI)