Chile President Gabriel Boric Font heaped praises on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that he is a "key geopolitical player nowadays."
Lauding PM Modi's diplomatic prowess, Gabriel Boric Font, in his remarks at the Rashtrapati Bhawan said, “PM Modi has a weird status nowadays that he can talk to every leader of the world, Mr Putin, Mr Trump, Mr Zelensky, and the European Union, and Latin American leaders in BRICS or Iran.”
"That is something that no other leader can say now. So you're a key player in the geopolitical atmosphere nowadays, he added.
The Chile president then expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome he received in India and said, "I am here for the first time for a State visit... I want to thank you for the warm welcome that we have received here...for the past 16 years, no one from Chile has come here, and in that 16 years, India has changed a lot."
Full address by Chile President Gabriel Boric Font at Rashtrapati Bhawan:
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) April 1, 2025
We want to deepen our relationship with India
India's strategic autonomy path Chile is following
We want to learn more abt Indian history, culture that doesn't start in 1947 but is 4000 years old pic.twitter.com/gq1xcNtRWc
'Chile wants to work on our relationship with India'
Gabriel Boric Font, who is on his visit to India as both countries mark 76 years of diplomatic relations, said that
"Chile is a country that is connected to the world, and now we want to work on our relationship with India. Today, we have signed several MoUs," he said.
India welcomes a special friend!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 1, 2025
It is a delight to host President Gabriel Boric Font in Delhi. Chile is an important friend of ours in Latin America. Our talks today will add significant impetus to the India-Chile bilateral friendship.@GabrielBoric pic.twitter.com/yXFwicjbK5
He then highlighted the significance of his country's relationship with India, emphasizing their shared commitment to strategic autonomy and mutual cooperation.
"We do not depend on one special country, but we have relationships with China, with the United States, with the European Union, with the countries from our region, Latin America, with the countries from Asia Pacific, Japan, Indonesia, Australia and now we want to work more deep in our relationships with India and we have given some important steps today," Gabriel Boric Font said.
"As you said in the meeting that we had with Prime Minister Modi in his third mandate, we have subscribed some agreements and MoUs in such important issues as cultural exchange, Antarctic investigation, Chile is the door for the world to Antarctic continent," he added.
The Chile president, on the invitation of PM Modi, is on a visit to India from 1-5 April and is accompanied by Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Mining, Women and Gender Equality and Cultures, Arts and Heritage, Members of Parliament, Senior Officials and a large number of business leaders.
(With inputs from agencies)