Today in Madrid, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Heraldo Muñoz, gave a lecture at Casa de America, a public consortium that aims to strengthen ties between Spain and the Americas, especially in Latin America.
During his speech, Minister Muñoz spoke about the main guidelines and challenges of Chile's foreign policy. He emphasized the country's commitment to the Pacific Alliance, but also stressed the importance of deepening relations with the nations of the Atlantic.
The Foreign Minister also made mention of the trip next to Brussels next month to advance the renewal of the Association Agreement with the European Union. "We have received a positive response in two of the three pillars: the political pillar and that of cooperation," he remarked, explaining that the outstanding pillar is the commercial one, and a group will be working on the renewal of that aspect.
Later, he held a lunch with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain, José Manuel García-Margallo. "We had a very positive meeting. We reviewed bilateral relations and we noted significant progress," said Minister Muñoz, adding that in the meeting the "strategic alliance that Spain has with our country is profound and reflects an excellent state of relations."
He added that the only missing details were for an agreement on mutual recognition of degrees and studies for Spanish and Chilean citizens, to make use of the training obtained in their respective countries. "That will greatly assist migration and exchange on a professional level between the two nations," said the Minister. The two officials also talked about cooperation in combatting crime and deepening coordination between Chile and Spain as non-permanent members of the Security Council.