Honour guard awaited the royal couple in Santiago

Santiago. King Harald and Queen Sonja.The royal couple are on a state visit to Chile from Tuesday to Sunday. : Heiko Junge / NTB scanpix

King Harald and Queen Sonja landed in the capital, Santiago in Chile on Tuesday afternoon, where they were greeted by the honourary guard and Foreign Minister, Roberto Ampuero.

The royal couple are on a state visit to Chile from Tuesday to Sunday with, among others, Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide of Høyre (H) and Fisheries Minister, Harald T. Nesvik of Fremskrittsparti (FRP). Also on the trip is a business delegation of 70 representatives from both large Norwegian companies and small entrepreneurs.

The visit marks 100 years of diplomatic relations between the countries. Chile is Norway’s hardest competitor in the salmon market, but still the friendship between the countries flourishes.

The royal couple arrived at the capital with a domestic aircraft, as they have already had a shorter private stay in the port city of Puerto Montt in the south of the country. The start of the official state visit is on Wednesday.

During the trip, the royal couple will greet the presidential couple and visit the southernmost city in the world. They will also return items that adventurer and scientist, Thor Heyerdahl,took away with him from Easter Island in 1955-1956.

The royal couple will furthermore be responsible for the opening of a business event in Santiago, where a number of representatives of Norwegian and Chilean businesses will participate. On Saturday, King Harald opens an Antarctic seminar in the southern town of Punta Arenas, together with Fisheries Minister, Harald T. Nesvik.

The last kingly visit to Chile was King Olav in 1967.

In 2008, Crown Prince Haakon also visited the country.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today