PM Rowley invited to Chile President Bachelet

This was disclosed by Acting Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Edmund Dillon when he addressed a function hosted by the Chilean Embassy at the Living Waters Community Centre in Port-of-Spain on Tuesday night to celebrate the 206th anniversary of Chile’s independence.

In revealing that Bachelet recent invited Rowley to visit Chile, Dillon said, “We look forward to this visit very much...

bearing fruits for TT and Chile.” He recalled that in July, Rowley and Bachelet held discussions on the margins of the Caricom Heads of Government Meeting in Guyana. Dillon also said Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dennis Moses and his Chilean counterpart are expected to hold discussions on the fringes of the United Nations General Assembly which is currently taking place in New York.

Dillon said TT and Chile will engage in the third round of bilateral political discussions in Port-of-Spain in 2017. He also said this country looks forward to the signing of a partial scope agreement with Chile that will have a special focus on energy.

Chilean Ambassador to TT, Fernando Schmidt, underscored the continued friendship between both countries.

“Diplomacy today, also requires hearing what does not make a sound. To listen to what our people want from us...to understand changes that we face in our times...to introduce solidarity to our daily endeavours,” Schmidt.

The Ambassador identified statistics management as one of several areas where TT and Chile could cooperate. Touching on the partial scope agreement being negotiated between TT and Chile, Schmidt said this was still in its early stages. However he hoped it would lead to the creation of new opportunities and jobs for the people of both countries. Amongst the persons attending the function were Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon, Senate Vice-President Nigel De Freitas, former Senate president Timothy Hamel-Smith and former government minister Mariano Browne.