[ARCHIVO] President Bachelet after her meeting with the President of Slovakia: “We want to strengthen ties and share best practice in regard to the modernization of our economies”

The President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, along with the President of the Slovak Republic, Andrej Kiska, who is making an Official Visit to Chile, made a joint press statement at midday today, during which they positively evaluated their meeting.

President Bachelet stated, “Chile and Slovakia have challenges in common, so we want to strengthen ties and share best practice in regard to the modernization of our economies, innovation, new technologies, science and trade, which are all important areas for the development of our countries”.

President Kiska’s agenda in Chile focusses on these areas. President Kiska and his delegation, which includes five business people from the area of innovation, are to meet with Start Up Chile, with a view to working together to replicate this model in Slovakia. Two Slovak entrepreneurs have already been selected for the program and there is shared interest in new initiatives being including in coming program application rounds.

Through the Start Up Chile program, Chile seeks to attract high potential entrepreneurs from around the world who will use the country as a platform for their businesses. Its goal is to convert Chile into a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship in Latin America.

President Bachelet said that another of the challenges facing both countries is increasing the share of renewable energies in the energy matrix and they discussed their experience in this area.

In economic matters, she highlighted that trade between Chile and Slovakia amounted to US$17 million in 2015, an increase compared to 2014. “We want to continue strengthening this area and incentivizing investment between our countries in the framework of the Association Agreement with the European Union, which we hope to update soon”, she said.

She added, “in addition to strengthening ties in regard to innovation, energy and trade, Slovakia’s recent incorporation as an Observer State of the Pacific Alliance could generate new areas of work with its four members”.

In closing, President Bachelet said that they had also talked about the challenges facing Slovakia in regard to the presidency of the Council of the European Union. “Chile is closely following what is happening there, especially the effects that Brexit could have on Slovakia, Europe and Latin America, as well as the measures that the community is taking with regard to the refugee crisis in Europe”, she said.