For Country Profile: Chile --- Sunday, Sept. 18, 2005

For Country Profile: Chile --- Sunday, Sept. 18, 2005
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Foreword
by the Ambassador of Chile to Indonesia,
H.E. James Sinclair Manley

When the Government of Chile decided in 1935 to open a
Consular Office in the old, romantic city of Batavia, the Chilean
authorities were taking the first steps toward what, in the
future, would develop into a rich and comprehensive partnership
between the two countries, its peoples and cultures.
Coincidentally, the first Chilean representative in Indonesia was
the poet Pablo Neruda, one of the most prominent figures of our
literature, whom years later was awarded with the Nobel Prize.

Decades have passed by and today we have the opportunity to be
first-hand witnesses of the many changes experienced by this
interdependent world. Nowadays, we live in a time of important
global transformations. No longer are there countries at the
center and others on the periphery. Some observers have
proclaimed the "death of distance". Long distances have been
overcome by communications and new technologies. Problems
emerging in far away countries affect ours and, due to this
particular fact, we need to be constantly monitoring and
analyzing the different scenarios that have a bearing on
political and economic decisions. Indonesia and Chile are such
cases, where distance, different cultures, languages and races,
are no longer obstacles to developing strong and broad links in a
variety of fields. But this particular task also represents a
gigantic challenge. Partnership in today's world has become not
only inter-continental; it is also a global matter.

In the past, no institutionalized links existed between our
two countries and only due to the visionary projection of leaders
in both nations, our relations began to develop firmly and
steadily. Today, this relationship appears as one of major
strategic importance, with supply and demand between the two
regions already well aligned. This strategic partnership should
become the focal point of our relationship - on the east and west
sides of the Pacific Ocean - as a strong and everlasting "silver
bridge" (figurative linkage between two continents) that will
keep our countries and peoples together with the necessary
strength and confidence to develop economic and social policies
to meet the challenges of the new millennium.

It is quite fortunate that precisely during the commemoration
of the 40th anniversary of our diplomatic relations and after
decades of hard work, we can proudly express that Indonesia has
become one of our most valued partners in the southeastern Asia
region, where Chile has the historic opportunity not only to
project its image to the region and to the world, but also to
make a significant contribution - by means of greater knowledge
and understanding of each other - in creating an adequate and
confident atmosphere for a permanent brotherhood. We call on our
professionals, politicians, diplomats and all citizens in both
nations to contribute in building this "silver bridge", strong
and powerful enough to support a better linkage among our two
countries, developing new strategies of collaboration that
combine open, global economic policies with regional integration
obligations.