translated from Spanish: New operation announced that will allow repatriation of foreign nationals

A series of charter flights will allow the return to their countries of a significant number of foreigners who are in Chile. For this new privately funded humanitarian operation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is coordinating with the chancelleries of other Latin American nations the authorizations that will make such transfers possible. The return plan can be realized thanks to the financial contribution of the business fund raised by the Confederation of Production and Trade (CPC), which gathers contributions from more than 70 companies, and considers bringing back to their countries people from the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Ecuador, among others. Each of the flights also envisages bringing back to Chile connationals who are in those countries as a result of the crisis generated by the spread of Covid-19 in the world. Chancellor Teodoro Ribera stated that “we have proven that public-private cooperation has yielded great results in the purpose that people who have been left away from their families because of the pandemic can return to their countries.” For this reason, we once again appreciate the support of the companies and entrepreneurs gathered at the CPC, which has been key to the return of many Chileans and foreigners in these months, and we also appreciate the cooperation of the countries that, by making an exception, have been willing to open their borders to these planes and their connationals,” Ribera said. We are convinced that the best way to deal with the challenges imposed on us by Covid-19 is to work together with the other states and with the support of the private sector,” added the Secretary of State.In the same sense, the president of the CPC, Juan Sutil, stressed that “companies and entrepreneurs have been actively contributing to the solution of the most pressing needs in this emergency , and the painful situation in which so many migrant families find themselves moves and motivates us to stand in solidarity with them, and to collaborate with social organizations and authorities in carrying out these humanitarian flights, so that they can fulfill their desire to reunite with their own as possible.” The first flight of the operation will take off next Monday, July 13 to the Dominican Republic, with 180 migrants who, until now, were waiting to be able to return to their country. The next day, the same plane will travel back to Santiago, bringing around a hundred Chilean and resident foreign nationals, who were contacted by the Chilean Consulate in Santo Domingo.For the realization of the return plan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has had to manage overflight and passenger transit permits, after the health crisis caused the closure of borders and the cancellation of flights by the airlines. In the meantime, the Consulates of each of the receiving countries are organizing the respective lists of those who will return to their nations through this operation.

Original source in Spanish