Santiago, Apr 4, (RHC), – The Foreign Ministers of Chile and Argentina, Heraldo Muñoz and Hector Timmerman respectively, will meet today in the Chilean capital, Santiago, in a bid to strengthen bilateral relations.

According to the Chilean Foreign Ministry, the meeting is part of bilateral efforts to strengthen the South American integration process and give new impetus to the Treaty of Maipú, signed between the presidents of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, and Argentina, Cristina Fernández, in October 2009.

The statement also informed Bachelet is to pay an official visit to Argentina later this month, the first trip abroad of the president since her inauguration in March this year.

Meanwhile, Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez on Wednesday expressed her country's solidarity to the Chilean people, following the 8.2 dregrees earthquake that struck northern Chile, earlier this week.