Ruling party lawmakers submitted a bill to nationalize Argentina's lithium reserves, as Chile recently did.

The proposal from the ruling Frente de Todos considers the mineral "strategic for the country's development".

The initiative declares "of national public interest all acts related to lithium and its derivatives".

It seeks to have the ore processed and industrialized in Argentina to create jobs.

It also aims to protect environmental rights and the rights of indigenous peoples affected by mining.

The text cites the project presented last week by Chilean President Gabriel Boric, which assigns a key role to the state in the development of the resource.

Argentina, Chile and Bolivia have some of the world's largest reserves of lithium, an essential input in the manufacture of batteries for mobile devices.