BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

BRUNEI and Chile will soon sign a visa waiver agreement allowing freer movement of people and goods between the two countries.

Christian Rehren, Chile’s non-resident ambassador to Brunei, said the deal should be finalised in early 2015.

“These things take time because they have to go through the Home Affairs (ministry) and in the Chilean case the Migration (ministry). We hope that in the coming months, before March, it will be done,” he told _The Brunei Times _during his recent trip to the Sultanate.

Rehren said it was important to promote movement of people between the countries, as it would help facilitate trade and investment. “We want to abolish a visa that doesn’t have a purpose and highlight the importance of connectivity,” he said.

As members of APEC and founding members of the P4 – the precursor to the Trans Pacific Partnership – Brunei and Chile should exploit the existing zero tariff agreement, said the envoy.

Both countries are trying to work out a deal to export Chilean food products to China, using Brunei as an intermediary.

“The reasoning behind the visa waiver is that the world has been changing – we need to reduce barriers to economic activity, human movement. It’s the only way to attract tourism, attract people,” Rehren said.

The Brunei TImes