US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday hailed a “common approach and shared priorities” with Chile under President Gabriel Boric, one of a series of left-wing leaders recently elected in Latin America.

This was Blinken’s first visit to Chile, with which the United States has historically been closely associated, on a regional trip that began Monday in Colombia and will take him alongside Peru.

Regional security and migration were among the items on the agenda.

Welcoming the United States and Chile’s “common approach and priorities,” Blinken said the countries would strive together to “build more equitable and inclusive economies … that address the issues that are at the forefront of the lives of our people.” .

The three countries on Blinken’s itinerary all had recently elected leaders on the left side of the political spectrum, which has traditionally been heavily anti-American in Latin America.

When asked about this, Blinken said, “I think what motivates voters is that they want their governments to actually listen to their concerns and deliver concrete results.”

If they fail, he added, “There’s a good chance they’ll be voted out.”

On Wednesday in Santiago, Blinken met 36-year-old Boric, who was elected in December to head a left-wing coalition that includes the Communist Party, and his Chilean counterpart Antonia Urrejola.

American officials privately say they are heartened by Boric’s first steps as president, which include backing a new constitution to replace those inherited from the era of US-backed dictator Augusto Pinochet.

Blinken also addressed disagreements on regional issues.

In June, Boric was among Latin American leaders who criticized Washington’s decision not to invite Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela — all under US sanctions — to an Americas summit in Los Angeles.

“We must come together to better develop our nations,” the Chilean leader said at the time, adding that “exclusion is not the way forward.”

“We must hold the Cuban government accountable, like any other government, for denying the Cuban people these rights. We may have different approaches on how best to achieve that,” Blinken said on Wednesday.

Urrejola said they also spoke about Venezuela, including stalled talks in Mexico over resolving the country’s political and economic crises.

The dialogue, which was held under the auspices of a contact group of European and Latin American countries, was suspended by Venezuela last October.

Urrejola said she hopes the group can “resume talks with[Nicolas]Maduro’s government as well as with the Venezuelan opposition,” adding that the goal is for “Venezuela to have free and democratic elections in 2024.” .

Blinken will next travel to Lima to attend the Organization of American States annual meeting on Thursday.