During his official state visit to Chile which will commence on October 24 and conclude on October 26, President David Granger is expected to sign the Reciprocal Visa Abolition Agreement with that country.
The President will attend a meeting with Chile’s President, Michelle Bachelet at Palace Moneda and participate in the ceremony for the signing of the abolition agreement as well as the Open Skies Air Service Agreement.
President Granger will also deliver a lecture at the Andrés Bello Diplomatic Academy of Chile on ‘His vision and assessment as well as the strategic implications on his call for the Caribbean to be preserved as a zone of peace’.
Speaking ahead of the visit, the Guyanese Head of State said that relations between Guyana and Chile and that South American nation and CARICOM [Caribbean Community] as a whole are cordial and strong. “Chile is a key member of UNASUR [The Union of South American Nations], CELAC [Community of Latin American and Caribbean States] and Mercosur and it only this year an embassy was opened in Georgetown. I would say the relations are cordial and strong and they are growing in strength now,” he said.
This visit comes soon after President Bachelet’s visit to Guyana in July this year, where she held bilateral talks with President Granger and participated in the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting.
“This is a step towards strengthening the bonds between Chile and the Caribbean too. Chile particularly has a large maritime zone and the Caribbean really is a maritime zone so we expect that there will be a good base for bilateral cooperation,” said President Granger, who will assume Chairmanship of CARICOM in 2017.
