State President Nguyen Minh Triet arrived in the Chilean capital of Santiago on Sept. 29 at the beginning of his state visit to Chile as the guest of President Michelle Bachelet.

President Triet was welcomed at the Arturo M. Benitez International Airport by the General Director of the Chilean Foreign Ministry’s Protocol Department, Rolando Drago Rodriguez, the Chilean Ambassador to Vietnam , Jorge Canelas Ugande, the Vietnamese Ambassador to Chile , Nguyen Van Tich, and staff from the Vietnamese embassy.

Later on in the day, President Triet called at the Vietnamese embassy, where he praised the staff and officials of several Vietnamese agencies in Chile for their efforts in fulfilling their tasks.

The State leader urged the embassy and its agencies to continue upholding the spirit of solidarity while carrying out their jobs, which helps to enhance friendly and cooperative relations with Chile .

Vietnam and Chile officially established diplomatic ties 38 years ago. The bilateral relationship has developed fruitfully over the years with the exchange of visits by a number of senior leaders.

The two nations agreed to lift their relations to a comprehensive partnership during Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh’s visit to Chile in May 2007.

Chile is one of the first countries to recognise Vietnam as having a market economy and has actively supported Vietnam at international forums.

President Triet’s ongoing visit reflects Vietnam ’s determination to build a comprehensive strategic partnership with the Latin American country and step up cooperation in all fields, especially in economics and trade.

As scheduled, President Triet will hold talks with his counterpart Bachelet on Sept. 30, following an official welcoming ceremony./.