Brazil and Chile Have Multiple Common Interests and Want to Expedite Free Trade

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil and Chile decided yesterday, September 5th, to expedite their efforts to make the free trade agreement between the two countries, signed in November last year, come into force.

This was among the items of the meeting held at the Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia, between the foreign ministers of Chile, Teodoro Ribera, and Brazil, Ernesto Araújo.

For the agreement to come into force, the Chilean and Brazilian parliaments must approve the measure. Once approved, the agreement must be ratified by the governments of both countries.

According to the ministers, the measure will include rules to ease the penetration of Brazilian companies into the Chilean public procurement market, which is estimated at US$11 (R$44) billion.

After the meeting, the two ministers issued a statement listing the agreed points. In addition to expediting the free trade agreement, Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo said that the two countries should deepen ties between Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, as Venezuela is temporarily suspended) and the Pacific Alliance (Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Peru).

According to him, the fact that Brazil currently holds the pro-tempore (rotating) presidency of Mercosur, while Chile also holds a similar position at the head of the Pacific Alliance, should facilitate this process.

The two foreign ministers also said that the governments of Brazil and Chile intend to build a highway corridor to link Brazil’s Center-West region and the maritime ports in northern Chile.

For this project to be completed, building a bridge over the Paraguay River between Porto Murtinho (Mato Grosso do Sul) and Carmelo Peralta, on the Paraguayan side, will be required to reach the northwest of Argentina.

Ernesto Araújo also said the two nations have agreed to carry out scientific cooperation in Antarctica, where the two countries keep structures for research. The Brazilian base was seriously damaged by a fire in 2012 and will soon be reopened.

The Brazilian Foreign Minister further stated that the joint development of cyber security between Brazil and Chile is part of the statement of commitments signed yesterday between the two countries. He added that the matter “goes beyond classic security-related issues” among nations.

The Chilean Chancellor has also expressed optimism over the future of his country’s relations with Brazil. He said that Chile and Brazil have agreed to build a digital port for the region, with the aim of integrating the systems not only between the countries that make up the Southern Cone, but also Asia.

He said Venezuela’s situation was also one of the topics of the meeting. “The situation in Venezuela affects the entire region, which is why we reaffirm the importance of this issue in order to provide a response soon.

The Chilean Chancellor also said that Brazil has today agreed to participate intensively in COP 25, the climate conference to be held in Chile in December this year.

On behalf of President Jair Bolsonaro, the Brazilian Chancellor thanked the Chilean government for its assistance in fighting forest fires in the Amazon. Currently, four Chilean aircraft are working to fight the flames.