UK Foreign Minister for South America visits Chile
The Minister will be meeting members of President Piñera’s Administration, as well as Senior Chilean Navy officers and members of the Parliament.
Minister Jeremy Browne MP, FCO Minister for South America, will be visiting Chile from 10 - 11 August. He is the first minister from the new UK Coalition Government to visit the country.
The UK’s Minister of State will be meeting members of President Piñera’s Administration, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Vice-Minister of Education, as well as Senior Chilean Navy officers and members of the Parliament. He will also participate in an event with representatives of the Energy and Environment sectors and will attend a lunch with key business people, to reinforce the UK government’s commitment to reinvigorating its trade relations with Chile.
Speaking ahead of his visit, Minister Browne said:
“I am absolutely delighted to be visiting Chile on my first trip to South America. Chile was the obvious choice. The new Coalition Government in the UK wants to refresh its links with emerging economies across the globe, and Chile is widely seen as one of the most promising economies in Latin America, with low inflation and continued GDP growth.
“Chile is the UK’s third largest export market in Latin America after Brazil and Mexico, with 2009 exports totalling £478m - a rise of 76% on the previous year. We want to see strengthen these trade relations even more in years to come.
“We are also close partners on tackling climate change. Chile has shown real leadership in the region on this issue, with its ambitious CO2 emission reduction targets, and we look forward to deepening this partnership in the run up to the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun later this year.”