President Piñera and Foreign Minister Allamand highlight the international vocation of Chile and the guidelines of its policy towards the rest of the world, in commemoration of the 150 years of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The President of the Republic, Sebastián Piñera, joined by Foreign Minister Andrés Allamand, led today the commemoration of the 150 years of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a ceremony at the Palacio de La Moneda, where former foreign ministers Hernán Felipe Errázuriz, José Miguel participated Insulza, Ignacio Walker, Mariano Fernández, Alfredo Moreno, Heraldo Muñoz and Teodoro Ribera, among other authorities and officials of the Secretary of State.

At the ceremony, the President highlighted the most important advances of the Ministry in recent times and referred to the pillars of Chile's foreign policy, which rest on the defense of peace, freedoms, Human Rights, and democracy, as well as in promoting regional integration.

"Our foreign policy is said both by how we see ourselves, and by our vision of the world that we want to build, and the role we want to play in that challenge," he said and mentioned the efforts to ensure that our country is today one of the most integrated, with free trade agreements that represent about 90% of the world's population.

The President emphasized, in a special way, the achievements of the Foreign Ministry in order to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, such as "the categorical victory obtained by Chile before the International Court of Justice in October 2018, an opportunity in which they were discarded Bolivian claims were fully reaffirmed and the validity of international law, the validity of international treaties, and the sovereign decrees of Chile on its territory and its sea were confirmed."

Foreign Minister Andrés Allamand emphasized the relevance of the "international vocation" that characterizes Chilean foreign policy: "It is the will to integrate into the world not only with the logic of seeking what the country can receive from such endeavor but with the rationality of attention to what the country can contribute to others; that is, to the international community."

In this sense, the Minister highlighted some of the milestones that exemplify this "international vocation", such as Chile's contribution in the field of Human Rights; respect and care for democracy; the so-called Escudero clause, in recognition of the Chilean diplomat of the same name, who by establishing the "freezing" of claims made the Antarctic Treaty viable, one of the greatest feats of multilateralism and International Law.

Among the contributions, he highlighted that Chile has 43% of its maritime surface subject to some form of Marine Protected Area and that 70% of the world's astronomical capacity is located in its territory.

Chile's commitment to combat climate change, as well as the initiative to consecrate the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone —finally achieved in the Convemar— are demonstrations of the country's ability to build an international agenda.

The Minister ended up exemplifying this trajectory with the recent approval, in Geneva, of the Chilean initiative to promote a binding international treaty so that the world can better react to future pandemics.

These contributions from Chile are some of those addressed in the book of 150 years of the Foreign Ministry, prepared by the authorities of the Ministry together with an outstanding group of diplomats, which will be drawn up by National Journalism Award winner, Ascanio Cavallo, and finally reviewed by the historian Joaquín Fermandois.

To conclude the commemoration, the President and the Minister held the postmark ceremony for the new postage stamp "150 years of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," in which the manager of Corporate Affairs of Correos de Chile, Carol Pacheco, also participated.

Foreign Minister Allamand presents awards to officials

In addition, in a ceremony held this Thursday, Minister Andrés Allamand made the traditional presentation of medals recognizing officials with 35, 30, and 20 years of service in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also including officials from the Chilean Carabineros and the Chilean Police. Investigations that fulfill functions in the ministry.

"Without a doubt, what makes the difference in the way in which Chile plays its role in foreign affairs is the tremendous human quality that exists here," highlighted Minister Allamand and stressed that, on this occasion, the event had meaning even more special since it takes place just when the institution turns 150 years of history.