During the visit to the United States by President Michelle Bachelet and her meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House on June 30th, both governments highlighted U.S-Chile bilateral cooperation in trilateral development and security cooperation:
Expansion of Partnership in the Caribbean
The United States and Chile signed a Declaration of Intent to launch a Caribbean-wide trilateral partnership campaign, which will leverage their combined assets and expertise to help promote growth, effective governance, and security in the Caribbean. Led by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Chilean Agency for International Cooperation (AGCI), this Caribbean partnership will start with activities in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Jamaica. These programs will focus on youth employment and government capacity in the Dominican Republic, evaluation and analysis of public investments in Haiti, and promoting good governance and countering gender-based violence in Jamaica.
Expansion of Trilateral Development Cooperation Initiative
The U.S. Department of State and Chile’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will build on the U.S.-Chile Trilateral Development Cooperation Initiative that was launched by Presidents Obama and Bachelet in 2009, and which is currently active in countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Paraguay. The MOU established a framework to facilitate consultations that enhance bilateral joint cooperation outside of the Americas, particularly in the Asia-Pacific Region.
Defense Cooperation
Building on the U.S.-Chile longstanding partnership in defense, both countries are collaborating on efforts to build capacity in Central America. Chile is making important contributions to regional security by training Guatemalan pilots and incorporating Salvadoran and Honduran infantry platoons into Chile’s battalion serving in the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (Minustah.)
