The Governor General accepted the Credentials presented by His Excellency Alfredo Garcia Castelblanco, Ambassador of the Republic of Chile, during a ceremony in the Drawing Room at Government House.

"You have pledged to strengthen Bahamas/Chile bilateral relations and ties, thereby taking them to a higher level of understanding and cooperation. Your country’s exemplary economic performance demonstrates capacity in this regard," Mr Hanna commented.

The Bahamas and Chile established diplomatic relations on 4th December, 1990.

Since then, there have been bilateral exchanges in the areas of language training programmes, trade negotiations and courses offered by the Diplomatic Academy of Chile.

Mr Hanna went on to add:

"The Bahamas takes pride in the fact that the longstanding relations with the Republic of Chile are reflected in meaningful interaction within the international arena and the result of the strong commitment of both our countries to the principles and ideals of multilateralism."

"This is especially as they are defined in the context of the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and their application in the priority indicative areas of peace and security, economic and social developments, human rights and climate change.".

Hanna added that The Bahamas also views the negotiations of the new Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union as likely to ensure gains based on mutual benefit, particularly given the challenging global economic environment that exists:

"Your country has been unquestionably a leader in maximising multilateralism for national benefit. This success has been lauded and recorded by no less than the international monetary fund (IMF) and World Bank," he told the Chilean ambassador.

The Governor General went on to recognise Chile for contributing to The Bahamas’ human resources training for national development.

“There is scope for significant mutual benefit between the extensive fishing industry and vibrant financial sector which characterise both our economies," Hanna observed.

According to Ambassador Castelblanco, the new EPA with the European Union offers renewed opportunities for investment and growth to the Bahamian economy.

"This vibrant and highly developed service economy that has been classified with the third highest per capita income in this hemisphere after the United States and Canada, will be further strengthened by the EPA, allowing new levels of competitiveness that at its time will enable the development of a strong social agenda bringing higher levels of well being to the Bahamian people," he suggested.

Ambassador Castelblanco also mentioned that Chile is seeking to discuss a free trade agreement between Chile and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).