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Chile–Netherlands relations are the international relations between Chile and the Netherlands. They are framed within the broader relations between Chile and the European Union and have been close and aligned in social, cultural, and economic spheres, with the exception of the period of the military regime of Augusto Pinochet, during which the Dutch government was a significant opponent on the international stage. At present, both countries maintain an important bilateral relationship across various areas.

History

19th century

Bilateral relations between the two countries date back to 2 June 1849, when the Chilean government officially recognized José Boonen as the first Vice-Consul of the Netherlands in Chile. For its part, on 22 August of the same year, the Dutch monarchy officially recognized Consul Eduardo Serruye as the first Chilean representative on Dutch soil.

As part of the process of European colonization of Araucanía in the late 19th century, the Chilean government recruited Dutch settlers in order to populate and found towns in this sparsely inhabited area of southern Chile. Nueva Transvaal Colony is a locality located in the commune of Gorbea, founded by Boer settlers from the Dutch colonial empire who sought refuge in Chilean territory as a result of the Boer Wars. Other localities founded by, or with a significant number of, Dutch immigrants include Boroa, Faja Maisan, and Pitrufquén.

20th century

In 1910, Chile raised the status of its diplomatic legation in the Netherlands by accrediting Jorge Huneeus Gana as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. This was reciprocated in November 1917, when the Dutch diplomat Hendrik van Oordt de Lavenrecht assumed the same position, with permanent residence in Chile. On 26 May 1937, a trade agreement was signed between the two countries, allowing Chile to export nitrate, copper, cereals, and honey, while the Netherlands exported rice, cocoa, and light bulbs. The close relations between the two countries were further confirmed by the official visit to Chile by Prince Bernhard, husband of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, between 10 and 20 April 1951. On that occasion, he was awarded the Collar of the Order of Merit of Chile by President Gabriel González Videla, who in turn was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion by the prince. In 1955, both countries decided to once again raise the level of their bilateral relations to that of embassies, appointing the diplomats Luis Renard Valenzuela in The Hague and Petrus Albertus Kenstell in Santiago, Chile.

In 1961, the Dutch government established a system of credit guarantees to facilitate the export of capital goods to Chile, which was endorsed by the central banks of both countries. The following year, the two countries signed a migration agreement that encouraged Dutch immigration to Chile, particularly of farmers, livestock breeders, and technicians to engage in dairy farming activities in the south of the country. In 1966, a Dutch trade mission offered to finance, on behalf of the Netherlands, the construction of a high-frequency telecommunications network in Chile. This project was entrusted to the National Telecommunications Company, with funding exceeding 2.5 million Dutch guilders at the time, provided by the Netherlands Investment Bank.

Following the 1973 coup d'état in Chile, relations between the two countries became politically strained. One year earlier, the Dutch Minister for Development Cooperation, Jan Pronk, had founded a solidarity movement with the government of Salvador Allende, and there was sympathy among Dutch trade unions and Labour Party members for what Prime Minister Joop den Uyl described as "a social democratic experiment." Days after the military coup, approximately 20,000 Dutch citizens marched in Amsterdam and other cities in protest against the dictatorship, including politicians and members of the government. The immediate response of the Dutch government was total opposition and the adoption of measures to reduce political and economic relations with the new Chilean government, as well as a strong condemnation of human rights violations at both the international and bilateral levels. The Netherlands did not sever diplomatic relations with Chile, as it sought to maintain contact in order to provide assistance to political prisoners and offer them asylum, as well as to protect Dutch citizens residing in Chile and other opponents of the military regime. With the return of democracy to Chile in March 1990, relations between the two countries were normalized. In October of that year, Chile and the Netherlands signed an agreement on economic and technological cooperation, and in January 1996, a social security agreement was concluded.

21st century

In 2009, the two countries signed cooperation agreements for the development of advanced human capital and in the field of technology transfer, as well as the exchange of experiences in agricultural and food sectors.

See also

• Foreign relations of Chile
• Foreign relations of the Netherlands
• Dutch Chileans

References

Netherlands Category:Bilateral relations of the Netherlands

Burkina Faso–Mali relations are the bilateral diplomatic relations between Burkina Faso and Mali. The two countries share a state border measuring 1,325 km in length.

History

On 28 May 1975, Burkina Faso and Mali became members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Following a military coup in Mali in the spring of 2012, France launched Operation Serval on Malian territory on 11 January 2013. The government of Burkina Faso participated in this operation from January 2013, sending military units into Mali.

In 2016, Burkina Faso and Mali agreed to jointly combat Islamist militants by sharing intelligence and organizing joint border patrols, a response to the killing of 28 visitors at a hotel in Ouagadougou. In 2019, soldiers from both countries were targeted by Islamist attacks along the border, with one attack resulting in the deaths of 38 Malian soldiers.

In 2019, 8,457 refugees from Burkina Faso were living in Mali. In 2020, Burkina Faso hosted 20,948 refugees from Mali.

See also

• Foreign relations of Burkina Faso
• Foreign relations of Mali
• Burkina Faso–Mali border

References

Mali Category:Bilateral relations of Mali

Benin–Burkina Faso relations are the bilateral diplomatic relations between Benin and Burkina Faso. The two countries share a state border measuring 386 km in length.

History

In the second half of the 19th century, France began establishing small trading posts along the coast of West Africa. In 1851, a friendship treaty was signed between France and the Kingdom of Dahomey, in what is now southern Benin, followed by the establishment of a protectorate in Porto-Novo in 1863. French Dahomey was officially proclaimed in 1894 and later, in 1899, became part of the larger colony of French West Africa.

In the 1880s, European powers engaged in intense competition for territories in Africa, a process known as the "Scramble for Africa," which culminated in the Berlin Conference of 1884, where participating European nations agreed on territorial claims and future rules of engagement. As a result, France gained control over the upper Niger River valley (approximately the territory of modern Mali and Niger) and began occupying what is now Mali (then French Sudan) and Burkina Faso (then French Upper Volta) during the 1880s and 1890s. This region was called Upper Senegal and Niger, and borders were established between this colony and Dahomey between 1901 and 1914. The colony of Upper Volta (modern Burkina Faso) was created in March 1919, abolished in 1932 with its territory divided between Niger and Ivory Coast, and later re-established in 1947 with its former boundaries. The border between Dahomey and Upper Volta was formally confirmed by a French decree on 27 October 1938.

As the decolonization movement gained momentum after World War II, France gradually granted more political rights and representation to its African territories, leading to broad internal autonomy for each colony in 1958 under the French Community. Dahomey declared full independence on 1 August 1960, followed shortly after by Upper Volta on 5 August, turning their shared border into an international boundary between two sovereign states.

Sections of the border remained disputed in some areas. Several incidents occurred in the contested Koalu and Niorgu regions, causing tension in the 2000s. In May 2009, the two countries signed an agreement establishing a small neutral zone in the area until a final resolution could be reached by the International Court of Justice.

In recent years, the border region has been affected by ongoing Islamist insurgencies in the Sahel, mainly on the Burkinabe side. In May 2019, two French tourists traveling in Pendjari National Park were kidnapped, and their Beninese guide was killed. Governments generally advise against travel to the border region between Benin and Burkina Faso.

Benin and Burkina Faso are both members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). A border dispute remains over the delimitation near the town of Koualou/Kuru.

See also

• Foreign relations of Benin
• Foreign relations of Burkina Faso
• Benin–Burkina Faso border

References

Burkina Faso Category:Bilateral relations of Burkina Faso