David McAllister MEP: Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs conclude visit to Chile
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21. Juni 2023 In Aktuell, EN

David McAllister MEP: Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs conclude visit to Chile

A delegation of MEPs visited Chile from 19 to 20 June in view to strengthening the EU-Latin America strategic partnership.

MEPs from the Foreign Affairs Committee in the European Parliament visited Santiago and Valparaíso in Chile for the past two days for talks with Chilean high-level political representatives, civil society groups and think tanks. The focus of the visit was to restate the EU’s interest in engaging more with partners in Latin America at a time of geopolitical shifts and ahead of the upcoming summit between the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Brussels on 17-18 July 2023.

Concluding the visit, the Chair of the delegation, David McAllister (EPP, Germany), said: “Our visit to Chile clearly demonstrates the EU’s strong interest in strengthening our political partnership and engagement with the countries of Latin America. Reinforcing our friendship with Chile, our key partner in the region, is particularly important. The EU’s offer is to provide partners with high quality investment accompanying the fair, green and digital transitions. Strategically, it is also important to work together towards strengthening the international rules based order. Chile’s clear stance on Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine in the United Nations General Assembly is extremely important”.

The delegation met with the President of the Senate of Chile, Juan Antonio Coloma, in the former building of the National Congress in Santiago. After the meeting, Mr McAllister and Mr Coloma held a joint press point.

During their visit, the delegation also met Gloria de la Fuente, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Vlado Mirosevic, President of the Chamber of Deputies, Tomás De Rementería, Chair of the Committee of External Relations of the Chamber of Deputies, Francisco Chahuán, Chair of the Committee of External Relations of the Senate, the former Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, now Chair of the Democracy and Development Foundation, and the Head of the EU Delegation in Chile, León de la Torre Krais.

MEPs also had the opportunity to meet with the members of the Committee of Foreign Relations of Chile’s Senate, as well as several EU member state ambassadors, think tanks, civil society representatives and other Chilean authorities. The agenda also included a visit to the Memory and Human Rights Museum in Santiago, especially relevant on the 50th anniversary of the coup d’état that brought down the democratic government presided over by Salvador Allende in 1973.

In addition to Mr McAllister, the delegation was also composed by Francisco Millán Mon (EPP, Spain), Leopoldo López Gil (EPP, Spain), Nacho Sánchez Amor (S&D, Spain), José Ramón Bauzá Díaz (Renew Europe, Spain), Jaak Madison (ID, Estonia) and Inma Rodríguez-Piñero (S&D, Spain).

The delegation will continue its mission in Brasilia on June 21-22 to discuss the EU-Mercosur Agreement, geopolitical challenges and the new EU agenda for Latin America with Brazilian government representatives, Members of Parliament, and other partners and stakeholders.