MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Anglo-Chilean Chamber of Commerce delegation in the Falklands.
A small delegation from the Anglo-Chilean Chamber of Commerce (Cámara Chileno Británica) in Santiago left the Falklands today, Saturday, after a week's fact-finding visit.
In making the seven day visit, the group, comprising Chamber President, Alexander Newman and members, John Byrne and Patrick Esnouf were responding to an invitation made by Falkland Islands Development Corporation (FIDC) General Manager, Julian Morris, during a recent visit to Santiago.
While the visit was funded by the Cámara Chileno Británica, the FIDC arranged an itinerary designed to give the visitors the opportunity to meet a wide range of business and government representatives, as well as offering a small taste of the Islands' tourism attractions. The Falkland Islands Chamber of Commerce also played a part in hosting the visitors.
Welcoming the delegation to a specially convened meeting of the Falkland Islands Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday morning, Chamber President Tim Miller referred to the Falkland Islands' many historical trading links with Chile, beginning with the exportation of sheep from the Falklands to Punta Arenas over a century ago. He concluded, "The Falklands values its relationship with Chile and with the people of Chile and we wish to improve on that relationship." A good turn-out of local business leaders listened to presentations by the Chilean delegation, including an overview of the Chilean economy and business culture. This was given by Alexander Newman, who emphasised that while Chile has its own culture and "own way of doing things" it enjoys a degree of political stability, technological progress, commitment and competitiveness which, together with a general lack of corruption, distinguishes it from many other Latin American countries
The Falkland Islands Chamber members were told that the Cámara Chileno Británica was founded in Valparaiso in 1917 and has around one hundred and fifty members on whose behalf it acts as a lobby group as well as attempting to raise their commercial profile and offer high-level contacts in government and business.
While the delegation had brought with it some specific presentations from members hoping to do business with the Falklands, Mr. Newman emphasised at the beginning of the visit that he and the other members had arrived with open minds and no fixed expectations. They had been warned not to be over-optimistic before they arrived.
Asked whether differences in the scale of operations between the Falklands and Chile would tend to discourage commercial interest, Mr. Newman explained, that the business community in Chile had also had to struggle against negative global perceptions, arising from the country's small size and relative isolation. This, he felt, would lead Chilean businesses to have sympathetic understanding of the Falklands situation.
On Friday, speaking to Mercopress before a final afternoon of meetings with senior government officials, the delegation appeared quietly confident that their visit had been worthwhile and that they had found some possibilities for the development of small to medium trade in both directions.
John Fowler (MP) Stanley
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