Marcela Rebelo
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Viña del Mar (Chile) - In the opinion of the Brazilian ambassador to Chile, Gelson Fonseca Júnior, Brazil and Chile have an "excellent" diplomatic relationship. According to the ambassador, president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the Chilean president, Ricardo Lagos, are "very close" and "converse often."

Tomorrow (11), Lagos will pass his office to the first woman elected president of Chile, Michelle Bachelet. President Lula will attend the inauguration. "The integration with Brazil is considerable. In the economic sphere, the relationship obeys what is referred to as an economic complementation accord. This means that there are practically no tariff barriers. Trade has grown tremendously," the ambassador affirmed in an interview with the Agência Brasil.

The ambassador said that the governments of Brazil and Chile have sponsored joint initiatives. "Brazil and Chile are together in the United Nations mission in Haiti. Brazil is in charge of the military part, and Chile, the civilian area," he stated.

Furthermore, in 2004 president Lula inaugurated the International Campaign Against Hunger and Poverty, which received the support of the Chilean government, as well as that of the governments of France, Spain, Germany. amd Algiers.

The number of Brazilian tourists in Chile has grown. According to the ambassador, around 120 thousand Brazilian visit Chile each year. "There are six or seven daily flights, depending on the tme of year. So there is a lot of tourist activity," he said.

Nevertheless, the number of Brazilians who live in Chile is small. "Few Brazilians live in Chile, around 3 thousand all around the country," the ambassador said.

Translation: David Silberstein