Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Chilean President Sebastian Piñera on Wednesday to further the relationship between Jerusalem and Santiago.
The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding between Israel's Ministry of Science, Technology and Space and the Chilean National Authority for Scientific and Technological Research, as well as agreements related to aviation, and a declaration of intent on health and medical cooperation between the two countries' health ministries.
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"Israel and Chile have a lot in common," said Netanyahu. "We share values of democracy and human rights. We share a belief in market economies and both of us have done a few things to promote these values in our respective countries."
"We believe in entrepreneurship. We believe in creativity. We have relatively small, not so small, but relatively small, very vibrant economies," he continued. "It's recognized by the countries in Latin America, Chile's capacity in this regard just as the countries of the Middle East and the world recognize Israel's capacities as an innovation nation."
As part of his three-day visit, Piñera drew the ire of the Israeli government when he visited the Temple Mount on Tuesday accompanied by senior Palestinian Authority officials.
He apologized to President Reuven Rivlin for the incident.
On the diplomatic front, Piñera said the Chilean Embassy would not relocate from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.
Pinera also reiterated his support for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
Chile has the largest Palestinian community outside the Middle East and has seen increasing anti-Semitism in recent years.
Piñera also visited the Western Wall and Yad Vashem in the Israeli capital.
