LatinNews Daily - 12 August 2024

*Argentina’s foreign minister, Diana Mondino, has met her Chilean counterpart, Alberto van Klaveren, in Chile’s capital, Santiago, to advance political, economic, and regional integration between the two countries. A statement released by Argentina’s foreign ministry highlighted the need to increase efforts with regard to integration and borders, such as the use of new technologies, in order to boost the circulation of goods and people. The statement also underlines Argentina’s interest in boosting trade flows and diversifying its export offerings, noting that Argentina posted a trade surplus of US$4.22bn in 2023, with exports to Chile worth US$4.95bn (down 1.4% on 2022), and imports worth US$733m (down 5.8% on 2022). It notes that Argentina’s main exports to Chile in 2023 were fuel and mineral oils (US$1.64bn) of which natural gas was the main export (worth US$753m). In the first six months of 2024, Argentina posted a trade surplus of US$2.55bn (with exports totalling US$2.84bn and imports worth US$285m). The meeting also highlighted the VI Binational Commission on Trade and Investment which took place in April among other things.