A NEW AGREEMENT between Ireland and Chile will allow up to 100 young people travel each way as part of a visa exchange.
It comes following the signing of an agreement between the two countries as part of efforts to strengthen ties.
The agreement allows for a 100 working holiday visas to be granted as the countries aim to work more closely in areas such as pharmaceuticals, telecommunications and software.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan met with his Chilean counterpart Minister Heraldo Muñoz in Killenard, Co. Laois yesterday to sign the deal.
The minister emphasised the historical ties between the two countries including Bernardo O’Higgins, independent Chile’s first leader who was the son of an Irish-born Spanish nobleman in the South American country.
The revolutionary leader is seen as one of the country’s founding fathers.
“There are also strong contemporary bonds, with our economic, political and cultural links continuing to grow,” Flanagan said yesterday,
The signing today of a Working Holiday Agreement with Chile is indicative of that growth and marks an important step in increasing movement between our countries, particularly of our young people. This can only be of benefit to the people of Ireland and Chile and will lead to a better understanding of each other.
The Department of Foreign Affairs says that the total value of trade between Ireland and Chile in 2014 was €264 million.
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