Boric, before López Obrador: "If we had had a deeper dialogue, it would have been easier to reach an agreement with the IDB"

The governments of Chile and Mexico have strengthened their ties this Wednesday.

The president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, has closed agreements with his Mexican counterpart, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, on education, international cooperation, the economy and the environment.

This was announced in a joint press conference that they gave on the first day of the Chilean delegation's visit to the North American country.

"Our goal is to deepen the alliance between Mexico and Chile," said the South American president.

The meeting takes place in the middle of the end of the honeymoon that the Latin American left is going through due to the dispute over the presidency of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), where both Chile, Mexico and Argentina failed to agree and bring a candidate common and lost the election to Jair Bolsonaro's envoy, Brazilian Ilan Goldfajn, supported by the United States.

The fight over the IDB has exposed the cracks in the leftist alliance on the continent.

Last Sunday, the body voted for his presidency among a variety of candidates.

López Obrador nominated economist Gerardo Esquivel, while Chile presented its own candidate, former Finance Minister Nicolás Eyzaguirre, and Argentina, Cecilia Todesca, the Argentine Secretary of International Economic Relations.

The Government of Alberto Fernández withdrew his candidacy hours before the vote, which opened speculation about his support for the Brazilian Goldfajn.

For Boric, it is now difficult to assess the impact of what happened last weekend, "because bilateral relations must be thought of in the long term," he said.

His Mexican counterpart has detailed that they preferred to keep their candidate because they failed to agree on a common one.

“We regret that a change in IDB policy has not been carried out.

It will be more of the same, but we maintain very good relations with Alberto Fernández, and of course with Gabriel", said López Obrador, who has also criticized the role played by these international organizations in the region.

“I say that it is unfortunate because these international organizations do not really help the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean,” he added.

The climate between the two presidents, however, was warm.

López Obrador praised the Chilean people for having chosen a person like Boric, whom he described as young, intelligent, sensitive and humane.

"How the people of Salvador Allende deserve it," he pointed out.

His Chilean peer has returned the praise and has told that he received, in a private meeting, the advice of a political leader who has spent "so many years fighting for the people."

Gabriel Boric during the press conference. Nayeli Cruz

This Wednesday morning, Boric participated in a meeting with Chilean and Mexican businessmen in which he highlighted Chile's role in the sustainability industry and pointed out that it seeks to promote relations between foreign capital and small and medium-sized producers in its country.

“This is important because foreign investment has to come hand in hand with the redistribution of wealth”, he said during the meeting.

The president has focused during the visit on bilateral trade relations.

"We know that in Mexico there is an intention to diversify its export basket, where it has a very important relationship with the United States, but where it also wants to look more towards Latin America and we say that we are available."

The Chilean entourage accompanying Boric includes the foreign minister, Antonia Urrejola;

the Minister of Economy, Development and Tourism, Nicolás Grau;

the ambassador in Mexico, Beatriz Sánchez;

the first lady, Irina Karamanos;

and a group of legislators from across the local political spectrum.

President López Obrador received his Chilean counterpart accompanied by the foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard;

Alicia Bárcenas, ambassador of Mexico in Chile;

Raquel Buenrostro, Secretary of the Economy;

Rogelio Ramírez de la O, Secretary of the Treasury.

The presidential visit was planned in accordance with the Pacific Alliance summit, which was suspended this week at the request of López Obrador in the absence of President Pedro Castillo, after the Peruvian Congress did not authorize the trip.

"It is arrogant not to give permission to the constitutionally elected president to attend the summit," claimed the Mexican president, who explained that they will try to take the event to Peru.

Boric has confirmed that he will receive Castillo in Chile next week, where they will discuss how to carry out the act in which the presidency of the Alliance will be handed over to the Peruvian president.

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