"Chile and Germany are two countries with many shared aims, both bilaterally and multilaterally

The President of Chile, Ricardo Lagos, declared yesterday that Expo-Germany, a convention to bring together more than 140 businesses with interests in Chile, is much more than a simple business and investment opportunity: "Business will increase, but I also think that there can be an important discussion here about issues relevant to everyone in industry, such as energy efficiency, the incorporation of technology, architectural sustainability, the use of alternative energies and other things," he stated.
Along with Economy Minister Jorge Rodríguez and Presidency Minister Eduardo Dockendorff, the President stated that "Chile and Germany are allies, with many shared aims, both bilaterally and multilaterally. These commonalities are manifested in our commitment to a common vision in terms of foreign affairs, our respect for the fundamental rights of man and our promotion of equal opportunities around the world. We are political, economic and cultural allies, and we want to increase commercial exchange between us."
He thus invited German investors to do business in Chile, and then access other markets from there. "I would also like to say to all investors who come to Chile from Germany that they are welcome here. And beyond that, Chile today serves as an important business platform, from which investments both here and in other Latin American countries can be administered without problems."
Lagos added that it is important "to see Chile not only as the final market for your products, but also as a market from which scientific research, technology and production methods can expand beyond Chile to other parts of the world."
Rising gas prices
On another note, the President once again stated that rises in gas prices next week would not be as high as some media outlets have predicted. "I said that the government knows what it’s doing. So the information that [the media] gave is not correct. Since we took the measures that we had to take, gas prices will only rise by about 24 pesos [per liter] next week," he confirmed.
The Lucchetti case
Finally, the President was asked about the situation of Chilean businessman Andrónico Luksic, who decided not to travel to Peru to give testimony in a case there against the Lucchetti Company, of which he is one of the top executives. Lagos responded that the Foreign Ministry was currently reviewing the case, but he offered assurances that "we have followed this situation very closely, and we are hoping that it comes to a satisfactory conclusion."
Source: www.presidencyofchile.cl
Chile - Alemania: Rodrigo González Fernández rogofe47@hotmail.com