A delegation of Chilean businessmen in the area of dried and dehydrated fruits will visit Egypt in early October to hold business meetings, according to the Ambassador of Chile to Egypt, Roberto Ebert. He made the announcement during his speech on the occasion of Chile's 213th Independence Day on 18 September. Ebert said that Chile's independence movement began in 1810 with the creation of the First National Government Board. He added that Chile enjoyed a long period of democratic stability from 1830 until 1973, when a coup d'etat disrupted the constitutional order. He said that since 1990, Chile has restored its democracy and made significant progress in promoting and protecting the rights of women, indigenous people, and sexual diversity. Ebert also said that Chile is currently drafting a new Constitution, which will be submitted to a referendum in December. He said that despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, regional conflicts, and migration, Chile's economy is showing positive signs of recovery and growth. Bilateral cooperation between Chile and Egypt The Ambassador highlighted that the ties of friendship and cooperation between Chile and Egypt extend for more than 90 years, having established diplomatic relations in 1929 and opening resident embassies in 1957. He said that 2023 will mark 94 years of bilateral diplomatic relations. He said that in 2017, a memorandum of understanding for commercial cooperation was signed with Egypt, which established a joint trade committee. He said that this bilateral cooperation body has met twice, the last time being in April 2019 in Cairo. He said that he hopes to reactivate this mechanism by the first half of 2024. He also said that he hopes to agree on a date to carry out bilateral political consultations, which will give a new push to bilateral relations, considering that in 2029 they will celebrate 100 years of fraternal and fruitful diplomatic relations. He said that in July of this year, the Embassy in collaboration with ProChile and the Egyptian Businessmen's Association organized a virtual workshop titled "Egypt: A Country to Know with Opportunities." The objective of the activity was to introduce the Chilean companies to the characteristics and opportunities offered by the Egyptian market. He said that more than 50 Chilean companies participated on this occasion. Cultural exchange between Chile and Egypt In the cultural field, to strengthen ties of cooperation and disseminate the culture and image of Chile in Egypt, the Ambassador said that the Embassy has carried out different activities to bring both countries closer together through cinema and literature. He highlighted the visit of the Chilean writer Lina Meruane in March of this year, as well as the screening of the Chilean movie "Machuca" on 25 September. He also mentioned the participation in the new version of the Ibero-American Film Week in October of this year. He said that to promote the presence of books by Chilean authors in Egypt, donations have been made with the commemorative edition of the writer and Nobel Prize winner Gabriela Mistral's "Desolation", as well as the complete work of the poet and Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda. He said that these books have been donated to various institutions such as Cervantes Institute in Cairo, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the Diplomatic Institute of Egypt, and Naguib Mahfouz Museum Library.
