Three regional governors from northern Chile will accompany President José Antonio Kast on his trip to Bolivia this Friday, according to La Tercera. They are Diego Paco (Arica and Parinacota), José Miguel Carvajal (Tarapacá) and Ricardo Díaz (Antofagasta). They will travel alongside presidential advisers.
Kast will meet with Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz. It will be the first official visit by a Chilean head of state to Bolivia in more than 70 years. The trip will also last just one day.
According to the newspaper, the aim is to strengthen ties in security, trade and mining. It also seeks to pave the way for normalizing diplomatic ties between the two countries, which do not have full diplomatic relations.
The Tarapacá Governor's Office confirmed Carvajal's attendance this Monday. According to its statement, the invitation will allow the region to take part in an event that includes "a meeting between Kast and his Bolivian counterpart", as well as working meetings between the two delegations.
For now, the regional officials are the only confirmed participants. La Tercera reports that more people may join. The three regions they represent border Bolivia or serve as hubs for trade and freight traffic to that country.
The original plan was different. Kast was going to travel with business sector representatives. However, according to the outlet, the government opted for a more limited trip because of the political situation in Bolivia.
That country is facing protests following the elimination of fuel subsidies. A bilateral controversy added to this: the "narcomaderas" case, in which more than 100 metric tons of drugs were seized in shipments of Bolivian timber at Chilean ports.
The Arica Regional Prosecutor's Office and the National Customs Service disclosed the investigation in June. The issue reached the diplomatic agenda. Last week, Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna discussed it with his Bolivian counterpart, Héctor Huanca, who expressed concern about the situation involving shipments from his country.
La Moneda has not publicly detailed the full agenda or the agreements it hopes to sign. The meeting between Kast and Paz is scheduled for this Friday.
