Official Visit of the Honourable Peter Milliken, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons, and a Parliamentary Delegation, to Chile and Argentina
From March 14 to 17, 2005, the Speaker of the House of Commons led a parliamentary delegation composed of Mr. André Bellavance, M.P., Mr. Pablo Rodriguez, M.P., and Mr. Mario Silva, M.P., to Chile and Argentina. The visit was in reply to an official invitation from the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Chile, Mr. Gabriel Ascensio, and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Argentine Republic, Mr. Eduardo Oscar Camaño.
In Chile, the delegation met with: the President of the Republic, Mr. Ricardo Lagos; the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Mr. Gabriel Ascensio; the Speaker of the Senate, Mr. Hernán Larraín; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ignacio Walker; and the Chair of the Chamber of Deputies’ Foreign Affairs Committee, Ms. Isabel Allende Bussi. The delegates also had the opportunity to visit the Chilean Joint Center for Peacekeeping Operations (CECOPAC) with Col. Rodrigo Sánchez.
In Argentina, they met with: the Vice-President of the Argentine Republic and Speaker of the Senate, Mr. Daniel Scioli; the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Mr. Eduardo Oscar Camaño; the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jorge Enrique Taiana; the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Jorge Argüello and the Chair of the Canada-Argentina Friendship Group, Ms. Margarita Stolbizer. The delegates also attended the opening ceremony of a regional seminar held by the International Criminal Court and a breakfast hosted by the Argentine Council for International Relations (CARI).
The visit focused on the importance of parliamentary diplomacy and mechanisms for fostering closer relations among parliamentarians. The visit also enabled parliamentarians to discuss each country's specific challenges and promote cooperation on regional and international issues.