“They are thinking about doing a joint job” with Chile, Argentina and Bolivia, said the president of Mexico in the last few hours in relation to lithium, a mineral that was nationalized in his country.
The president of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), announced this Wednesday a meeting with the governments of Chile, Argentina and Bolivia after the reform that last week nationalized lithium in his country.
“The Secretary of Foreign Relations, Marcelo Ebrard, informed me that a meeting is being called of countries with potential and lithium producers. There is communication with the governments of Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia, and they are thinking about doing joint work”revealed in his daily conference.
The meeting will take place after Mexico promulgated last week the reform to the Mining Law, which declares lithium as a mineral of public utility. whose exploitation will be the exclusive power of the State through a new public body, a model similar to that of Bolivia.
López Obrador asked to “unite the experiences that are had” between these countries that “will serve in the case of Mexico.”
“There are countries where lithium has already been nationalized, which is the case of Bolivia and the case of Mexico. In the case of Chile and in the case of Argentina, this is not the case, but the Governments of Chile and Argentina are interested in having this union”he exposed.
In defending the reform, the ruling National Regeneration Movement (Morena) has argued that Mexico is in tenth place of the 23 countries with mineral reserves, with the largest deposit in the world in Sonora, a northwestern state.
specialists have questioned the real amount of lithium in Mexico and the capacity of the state to exploit it.
The president indicated this Wednesday that the meeting with the Latin American countries “will help a lot to collect the experiences” and that Mexico defines “well the characteristics of the Mexican company that is going to handle the lithium.”
“We are also going to define how this new company is going to be, if it is going to be completely independent or related to the Treasury, the Economy, the Federal Electricity Commission, Energy or the entire Government, we are going to look for the best model,” he promised.