The trip will take place after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Argentina, Brazil and Chile in January last year seeking to ensure the availability of critical minerals.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric is scheduled to visit Germany in June in  a trip focused on cooperation on energy issues among others, the Foreign Minister of the South American country said Thursday.

Minister Alberto van Klaveren reported on the presidential trip at a joint press conference in Berlin with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

"President Boric's upcoming visit to Germany in June will be a new occasion to reaffirm the ties between our countries," said Van Klaveren.

The trip will take place after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Argentina, Brazil and Chile in January last year seeking to ensure the availability of more critical minerals.

"We have a true partnership in energy matters. Chile is also seeking to transform its energy matrix, develop green energy, take advantage of the resources we have for this, wind, solar energy, but also lithium and, we hope in the future, green hydrogen," said the minister.

"In all these areas there is the possibility of greater cooperation with Germany and Europe. For Chile, it is very important to diversify its international economic relations," he added, emphasizing that "we always ask our European friends that we aspire to have a greater European presence in Latin America." 

Chile is the largest global producer of copper and the second largest of lithium.

Minister Van Klaveren recalled that Chile recently disclosed new milestones in the so-called National Lithium Strategy that seeks to increase the state presence in strategic salt flats, while opening twenty to private exploration and exploitation.

Van Klaveren said that "there are European companies that have expressed interest in the exploitation of lithium" and that "there is no policy of preference towards any source of investment."