Chile seeks to become a safe and efficient business platformPublished: July 6, 2009
In her recent trip to the United States, the Chilean President Michelle Bachelet expressed her confidence that, after the crisis, Chile would stand as "one of the strongest emerging economies in the world."
Praise for the management of the economy and Chile's influence to act as a bridge between the United States and Latin America were the main points that the American President, Barack Obama, highlighted in his meeting with Bachelet at the White House.
Obama stated that "If you look at how Chile has handled the recession, they've handled it very well in part because the surpluses that they got when copper prices were high they set aside. It's a good lesson for the United States. When we had surpluses, they got dissipated."
With respect to the bilateral agreement, the American President stated: "the relationship that we have with Chile, which does not fall in line with U.S. foreign policy on every single issue, is one of respect. Chile is an important partner. I think that's the model that we want: partnership. The United States doesn't dictate how Chile should view its own interests, but in fact we've achieved great cooperation."
During the diplomatic visit to North America, the Chilean leader stated that Chile had consolidated itself "as one of the safest and most efficient business platforms" in the region, expressing her desire to deepen the relationship between both countries. "We want to show them that although Chile has been affected by the world economic crisis, it will recover from it soon, stronger than ever, as one of the strongest emerging economies in the world." She urged them "to believe in Chile, because it is an excellent moment to realize that although the economic crisis has affected us, it has also opened the door to new opportunities."
With respect to the comments made by Obama, Bachelet stated that, "it is good for Chile to hear that, because when we say it, we do not seem to be convinced by it. But when the President of The United States says it, it seems to be taken seriously." She said she was sure the government was doing a good job, "but for that to be recognized outside of Chile is, without a doubt, a tremendous achievement for our country."
The President also commented that the signing of the "agreement concerning the generation of free energies, in addition to being a response to energy needs, is a response to the problem of climate change, which is also very important to us."
Source: www.estrategia.cl