Ecuadorian President to
Visit Chile
The Colombian-Ecuadorian
conflict and the
Peruvian-Chilean dispute
on maritime borders will
be dealt with extra
officially during
Ecuadorian President
Rafael Correa's 42-hour
visit to Santiago.
Although the official
motive of Correa's visit
is to attend the
festivities on the
second anniversary of
President Michelle
Bachelet's government,
diplomats from the
region have agreed on
the importance of the
two abovementioned
issues.
Another landmark in this
visit will be the
signing of a Joint
Presidential Declaration
and a new Agreement on
Economic Complementation
that will update all
previous accords.
According to a
communiqué from the
Chilean Foreign
Ministry, bilateral
relations, established
in 1836, "are in a very
good level".
In the economic sector,
Chile's exports to
Ecuador have increased
from 83 million dollars
in 1994 to 460 million
dollars in 2007. Imports
from Ecuador has risen
from 187 million dollars
in 1994 to 757 million
dollars last year.
Ecuador ranks 14th among
Chile's destinations for
investments (219 million
dollars), and Chile
ranks tenth among
investors in Ecuador.
Some 30 Chilean
companies have
operations in Guayaquil,
Cuenca, Ambato, Chanduy,
Guayas and the Duty-Free
Zone of Manabi,
especially in the oil
sector (70 percent),
trade (11 percent),
services (9 percent) and
manufacture (4 percent).
President Correa, who
visited Chile in
November 2007, when he
attended the Ibero-American
Summit, will be
accompanied by 27
officials, including
Foreign Minister Maria
Isabel Salvador, and the
ministers of Mining and
Oil, Economic Policy,
Production, Social
Development and Justice.
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