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ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY ROBINSON, AT A BUSINESS BREAKFAST MEETING

ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY ROBINSON, AT A BUSINESS BREAKFAST MEETING HOSTED BY THE IRISH TRADE BOARD IN SANTIAGO

 I greatly appreciate this opportunity to address so many distinguished members of the business community in Santiago and I hope that my State Visit to Chile will greatly strengthen the many ties between our two countries. The members of the first Irish trade mission to Chile are looking forward to meeting with you to explore opportunities for increasing trade between our two countries.

While the level of trade between Ireland and Chile is comparatively small at present, the potential for developing strong trade links and trading partnerships in the years ahead is significant. The twenty companies taking part in the trade mission represent a wide cross-section of products and services ranging from telecommunications, computer software, construction, energy and pharmaceuticals to education, consultancy and food products.

This diversity will tell you something of what Ireland has to offer as a trading partner and it also demonstrates the keen interest among leading Irish enterprises in doing business with you here in Chile.

Ireland and Chile are, in many respects, as different as two countries can be when thousands of miles separate them. Yet, we also have much in common. We are both proud of our heritage, traditions, distinctive cultures and commitment to democratic government. We have both had to struggle to secure our independence as a nation. We are both relatively small countries alongside larger neighbours - and we have both worked to ensure that this geographical proximity provides us with business opportunity rather than commercial threat. Both Ireland and Chile are among the best performers in our respective regions in term of economic and trade development over the past decade and we are both strong advocates of free and open trade among nations as the most effective way to building prosperity, providing jobs for our people and improving living standards. The potential for doing business in Chile has been greatly enhanced by the impressive performance of your economy in recent years and especially by the major trade liberalisation policies which have been undertaken, some in advance of reciprocal arrangements. Chile is now reaping the benefits of these open trading policies in sustained economic growth. Chile is well positioned, strategically and geographically, to participate in regional free trade developments such as the Mercosur Agreement in South America, NAFTA in North America and APEC in the Asia Pacific region. These regional trade arrangements will, in turn, help stimulate increased trade worldwide through the liberalisation of the GATT Agreement and the World Trade Organisation. Countries like Ireland and Chile can make an important contribution to building bridges across the regions and, in particular, between South America and Europe. We can use our influence to continue to break down trade barriers and sponsor the concept of free trade among all nations as the world's best hope for peace and prosperity. In addition to generating increased trade between our two countries, this trade mission also has a relevance in developing opportunities on a wider front through partnership between Irish and Chilean companies in working together to provide access, market information, commercial contacts and joint ventures in our respective trading areas. Chilean companies can assist their Irish counterparts in selling to South American markets, while Ireland is an ideal entry point and base for Chilean companies which are selling into Europe. While Irish companies are building trade links in almost every part of the world, most of our trade is with the European Union. Ireland has been a member of what is now the 15 member European Union since 1973 and we have the access, experience and knowledge to help companies win business in the European market as well as in the fast developing economies of Eastern Europe. Ireland is, fundamentally, a trading nation. Our dependence on trade is one of the highest of any country in Europe and, indeed, the world - greater, proportionately, than Britain, Germany, Japan or the United States. We are a young and enterprising nation and being a relatively small country, we look outward to develop our economy. Over the past three decades, Ireland has transformed what was a protected and mainly agricultural economy into a high technology industrial nation that exports more than 70% of manufactured goods to world markets. Our policy of encouraging inward investment has resulted in over one thousand international companies setting up manufacturing and financial services operations in Ireland and these, in turn, have boosted the expansion of native Irish enterprise, in both manufacturing and services. I believe that this Irish trade mission to Chile will be the first of many and will mark the stage of a dynamic new phase in our commercial relationship, encouraging both Irish and Chilean companies to identify ways in which they can work together. May I again express our thanks for the welcome and goodwill we have been receiving and for the positive indications that there is very real scope for increased trade and business partnership between Ireland and Chile.