As part of his tour of Chile, the Dutch ambassador, Harman Idema, visited the UFRO together with the consul, Germán Nicklas, to meet with the rector, Sergio Bravo, and to get to know the work of this public and state university.

The Dutch ambassador, Harman Idema, and the consul, Germán Nicklas, met with the rector of the Universidad de La Frontera, Sergio Bravo, and the director of the International Affairs Office, Dr. Pamela Leal, for one of the first meetings of rapprochement between the university authorities and the diplomatic representatives, who are starting their first period of office in Chile.

The ambassador, Harman Idema, took office four months ago and one of his first actions is a tour of Chile, to meet with different counterparts in order to start and maintain cooperations and close relations with the different regions of Chile.

“The main objective of my visit is to get to know the honorary consul, Germán Nicklas, since I came to this country only four months ago and it is important to me to know what is happening in this region with regards to business, politics and social issues”, he said.

This is why the diplomats organized meetings at the Regional Government and the Diocese of Temuco. The Universidad de La Frontera is the only higher education institution they visited to see the development and the regional expectations.

COOPERATION

The ambassador also appreciated the cooperation agreements the UFRO has with two Dutch higher education institutions in the areas of teaching and research.

“For us, making use of our link with two Dutch institutions – especially two agreements, with the University of Groningen and Maastricht University, initiated in 2015 and 2016 – helps us to move forward with the consolidation of institutional relations, in the aspects of collaboration and academic mobility”, explained the director of the International Affairs Office, Pamela Leal.

The ambassador, Harman Idema, also commented that one of the purposes of his visit is to be present at the inauguration of a new Dutch enterprise for sustainable salmon production that will open in Catripulli.