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Minister Ampuero visits U.S. and meets with Under Secretary of State

Thursday, May 10, 2018

Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero is on a working visit to Washington D.C., where he met with representatives of the U.S. government and the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro.

Early in the morning, he met with Almagro, with whom he analyzed the regional scenario and the various events that are taking place in the region. On that occasion, the Secretary of State reaffirmed Chile's commitment to democracy, freedom and human rights. "With the Secretary General of the OAS, we also discussed the issue, of course, of Latin America, the issue in Nicaragua, the issue in Venezuela, and the good relations that exist in this case between Chile and the continental organization," he said.

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Subsequently, Minister Ampuero met with the Special Assistant to President Donald Trump and Director of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the National Security Council, Juan Cruz, and the Director for South America of the National Security Council, Lukas Henderson.

In the afternoon, the Chancellor held a bilateral meeting with U.S. Under Secretary of State John Sullivan. At the meeting, the authorities addressed the main aspects of the bilateral agenda and, according to the Head of Chilean Diplomacy, the "new frameworks for continuing to strengthen relations" were established.

The Minister noted that the dialogue focused on the state of world trade, cooperation between Chile and the United States and the Visa Waiver program. "This is a meeting with a friendly country, with which we have a strategic relationship, and these consultations are always essential," he said.

He also highlighted the moment in which this meeting was held. "It is a very special and intense week here in Washington, so this meeting has to be interpreted from that point of view. I think it is due to the excellent relations that have been cultivated between the two countries and they will continue to be so," he said.

The United States is a strategic partner for Chile. It is the second largest trading partner and the largest investor in the country. In 2017, trade between the two countries reached US$ 21,659 million. In that period, exports reached US$ 9,932 million, up 18% on the previous year, and imports reached US$ 11,726 million, 15% more than in 2016.