The meeting was attended by more than 60 businessmen from both countries and ratified the Joint Declaration formulated at the First Meeting last June. | Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile

Santiago de Chile, October 26 (RHC)-- Bolivia and Chile agreed on Tuesday to strengthen what they called the bilateral economic environment to optimize the processes of trade between the two countries.   The Chile-Bolivia Binational Business Council held its Second Face-to-Face Meeting in the city of Santiago de Chile, which was attended by Chilean Foreign Minister Antonia Urrejola and the Bolivian Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade Benjamín Blanco Ferr.

The meeting was attended by more than 60 business people from both countries and ratified the Joint Declaration formulated at the First Face-to-Face Meeting held last June in the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

According to the final communiqué, the objective was to optimize the procedures and operations that allow what they called "an expeditious, efficient and timely transit of goods between both countries and between them and the rest of the world, and the need to improve rail transport systems and their complementation with land transport."

They also proposed "to advance in the tax exemption of all goods to reach a free trade zone, a fundamental step to advance in integration."

Urrejola celebrated the results of the meeting and said she was "convinced that it will fulfill its purpose of continuing to advance integration between Chile and Bolivia, and that these efforts will allow us to continue strengthening a relationship of friendship, trust and closeness between two brotherly peoples."