Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile

Today the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Heraldo Muñoz, accompanied President Michelle Bachelet on her State visit to Indonesia. The day began with a breakfast with the main representatives of Sofofa and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Indonesia (Kadin).

After this, Minister Muñoz and the Head of State visited the Palace of Government of Indonesia. President Bachelet held a meeting with Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia at the palace. In the encounter, they addressed the main aspects of their bilateral relationship. Then both authorities led an extended meeting with delegations from both countries, which included Minister Muñoz.

In each session, the relationship between both countries seemed to be strongly concerned with diverse international issues such as the environment and especially oceans. Both countries emphasized the relevance of Indonesia hosting the next Our Ocean Conference in 2018.

When the reunions concluded, both Foreign Ministers, Heraldo Muñoz and Retno Marsudi, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Visa Waiver for Diplomatic and Official Passports and a Joint Statement that seeks to commit both countries to decide on negotiations for the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) Chile-Indonesia.

President Bachelet affirmed that "we are in an adequate moment to give this step towards more cooperation and integration with Indonesia. This will benefit our trade and create the necessary mechanisms to boost our political and economic bonds".

Minister Muñoz accompanied President Bachelet to a meeting with Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), Le Luong Minh. The Asean is made up of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Burma, and Cambodia; it was created in 1967 and aims to boost economic growth, promote peace and stability in these countries region.

Chile is the second Latin American country to be part of ASEAN's Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.