Chile–United States relations
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| Chile | United States |
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Chile-United States relations are better now than at any other time in history. The U.S. Government applauded the rebirth of democratic practices in Chile in the late 1980s and early 1990s and sees the maintenance of a vibrant democracy and a healthy and sustainable economy as among the most important U.S. interests in Chile. Besides the landmark 2003 U.S.-Chile FTA, the two governments consult frequently on issues of mutual concern, including in the areas of multilateral diplomacy, security, culture, and science.
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[edit] U.S. Embassy Functions
In addition to working closely with Chilean Government officials to strengthen our bilateral relationship, the U.S. Embassy in Santiago provides a wide range of services to U.S. citizens and businesses in Chile. (Please see the embassy's home page for details of these services.) The Embassy also is the locus for a number of American community activities in the Santiago area.
The Public Affairs Section cooperates with universities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on a variety of programs of bilateral interest. Of special note are extensive U.S. Speaker, International Visitor, and Fulbright programs. Themes of particular interest include trade, international security, democratic governance in the region, judicial reform, law enforcement, environmental issues, and the teaching of English. The Public Affairs Section works daily with Chilean media, which has a keen interest in bilateral and regional relations. It also assists visiting foreign media, including U.S. journalists, and is regularly involved in press events for high-level visitors.
Attachés at the Embassy from the Foreign Commercial Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) work closely with the hundreds of U.S. companies who export to or maintain offices in Chile. These officers provide information on Chilean trade and industry regulations and administer several programs intended to support U.S. companies' sales in Chile.
The Consular Section of the Embassy provides vital services to the more than 12,000 U.S. citizens residing in Chile. It assists Americans who wish to vote in U.S. elections while abroad, provides U.S. tax information, and facilitates government benefits/social security payments. Besides those U.S. citizens resident in Chile, about 170,000 U.S. citizens visit Chile annually. The Consular Section offers passport and emergency services to U.S. tourists during their stay in Chile. It also issues about 40,000 visitor visas annually to Chilean citizens who plan to travel to the United States.
[edit] Principal U.S. Embassy Officials
- Ambassador--Paul E. Simons
- Deputy Chief of Mission--Carol Urban
- Public Affairs Counselor--Laurie B. Weitzenkorn
- Management Counselor--Eric Khant
- Commercial Counselor--Mitchell G. Larsen
- Economic and Political Counselor--Juan A. Alsace
- Consul General--Christian Bendsen
- Defense Attaché--Captain Richard W. Goodwyn, USN
- Military Group Commander--Colonel Jeffrey B. Smith, USAF
- Agricultural Counselor--Joseph López
- APHIS Attaché--Karen S. Sliter
- Legal Attaché--Stanley Stoy
- Drug Enforcement Administration--Dave Horan
[edit] Diplomatic missions
The U.S. Embassy and Consulate are located in Santiago.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
This article contains material from the US Department of State's Background Notes which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.[1]
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