Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Chile) facts for kids
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile (called Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores in Spanish) is a very important government office. It helps the President of Chile plan and carry out Chile's relationships with other countries around the world. Think of it as Chile's main team for talking to other nations, making friends, and solving problems together. This ministry is located in downtown Santiago, in a building called Edificio José Miguel Carrera at Constitution Square.
The person in charge of this ministry is called the Minister of Foreign Affairs, or sometimes the Chancellor. Right now, that person is Alberto van Klaveren.
How It Started: A Look Back
The idea for this important office first came about in 1812, during Chile's War of Independence. Back then, it was known as the Foreign Affairs Secretariat. However, it was stopped in 1814 when the Spanish government took control again after the Battle of Rancagua.
After Chile gained its independence in 1818, the secretariat was started up again. For a while, it was part of another big government office, the Ministry of the Interior. It had names like "Ministry of Government and Foreign Affairs" (from 1818 to 1824) or "Ministry of the Interior and Foreign Affairs" (from 1824 to 1871).
Finally, in 1871, it became its own separate government department. Since then, it has changed its name a few times as it reorganized:
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Colonization (1871–1887)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship (1887–1896)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Worship and Colonization (1896–1924)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1924–1929, and again since 1941)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Commerce (1930–1941)
Additional Information
See also
- Foreign relations of Chile
- List of diplomatic missions in Chile
- List of diplomatic missions of Chile
Sources
- Official list of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Chile with appointment dates: https://web.archive.org/web/20110707011554/http://archivo.minrel.cl/webrree.nsf/PagLisMinEnChile?openpage&count=100&start=101