Austria–Chile relations are the

bilateral relations Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...

between Austria and Chile. Both nations are members of the

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries ...

and the United Nations.

History

The first contact between Austria and Chile dates back to the first half of the 19th century. In 1846, both nations exchanged letters of recognition which made Chile the first Latin American nation to be recognized by the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

.Austria en Chile (in Spanish)
/ref> In 1856 the first wave of Austrians immigrated to Chile. Many of the Austrians were from the Zillertal valley in Austria and they primarily settled around

Lake Llanquihue Lake Llanquihue is the second-largest lake in Chile with an area of about , after Lake General Carrera which shared with Argentina. It is situated in the southern Los Lagos Region in the Llanquihue and Osorno provinces. The lake's fan-like form ...

in southern Chile. The Chilean town of

Nueva Braunau Nueva Braunau (lit. New Braunau) is a Chilean village located in the commune of Puerto Varas, Southern Chile. It was founded mostly by Austro-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian settlers (later called as Sudeten Germans) from Broumov, Braunau, Bohemia (cur ...

was founded by Austrian immigrants. In the period between the two World Wars it is estimated that between 4,000 and 5,000 Austrians settled in Chile during the 20th century. In 1870 a Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation between the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

and Chile was signed. A diplomatic legation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was opened in 1903 in Santiago. That same year, Chile opened a diplomatic legation in Vienna. In 1918 after World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Empire dissolved and Austria became an independent nation. In 1938, Chile became a destination for Austrian Jews fearing changes affecting the Austrian Jewish community after the Anschluss by Nazi Germany. After World War II, Austria and Chile agreed to exchange Plenipotentiary Ministers: the first Austrian diplomatic representative arrived in Santiago in 1948. Four years later the diplomatic representations rose to the rank of embassies. In September 1973, Chile experienced a coup d'état. As a result, approximately 1,500 Chileans fled to Austria. During the presidency of Augusto Pinochet, both nations maintained diplomatic relations. In 2002, Chile signed a free trade agreement with the European Union (which includes Austria). In May 2006, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet became the first Chilean head-of-state to pay a visit to Austria.Bilateral relations between Chile and Austria
/ref> While in Austria, President Bachelet met with members of the Chilean-Austrian community in Vienna. In May 2008, Austrian Chancellor

Alfred Gusenbauer Alfred Gusenbauer (born 8 February 1960) is an Austrian politician who until 2008 spent his entire professional life as an employee of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) or as a parliamentary representative. He headed the SPÖ from 200 ...

paid an official visit to Chile, becoming the first Austrian head-of-government to visit Chile. In December 2015, President Bachelet paid a second visit to Austria. In October 2018, delegations from both nations held a third Meeting of Political Consultations in Santiago. During the meeting, the delegates exchanged points of view on the bilateral, regional and global relationship, such as the modernization of the Chile-European Union Association Agreement and the Austrian Presidency of the European Union, which that nation held during the second half of 2018.

Bilateral agreements

Both nations have signed several bilateral agreements such as an Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation (1870); Agreement on the lifting of visa requirements for ordinary passport holders (1954); Agreement in Tourism Cooperation (1954); Agreement in the granting of authorizations to radio amateurs from both countries to operate amateur radio stations (1986); Agreement of cooperation in combating illegal drug trafficking, psychotropic substances and organized crime (1996); Agreement on Social Security (1997); Agreement on the promotion and mutual protection of investments (1997); Agreement on the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of tax evasion in the area of taxes on income and wealth (2012); Agreement for a Working Holiday Program (2017); and an Air Transport Agreement (2022).

Resident diplomatic missions

* Austria has an embassy in Santiago. * Chile has an embassy in Vienna.Embassy of Chile in Vienna
/ref> File:Edificio Embajada de Austria en Santiago de Chile.jpg, Embassy of Austria in Santiago File:Building that houses the Embassy..jpg, Building hosting the Embassy of Chile in Vienna

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Austria-Chile relations Chile Bilateral relations of Chile

History

Bilateral agreements

Resident diplomatic missions

See also

References