“Partners in the South”.
With that phrase, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship of Argentina, Pablo Quirno, reaffirmed this Saturday the commitment of the government of Javier Milei to the fulfillment of the treaties and agreements in force with Chile, following his recent statements about the “bicontinental and bioceanic” condition of Argentina and amid the diplomatic tensions that both countries have recorded around the southernmost region.
Through a statement, the Chilean foreign minister recalled the meeting held on Thursday in Santiago together with President Milei and the Secretary General of the Presidency, Karina Milei, with President José Antonio Kast and the Chilean foreign minister, Francisco Pérez Mackenna, within the framework of the V Regional Meeting of the Madrid Forum.
“Last Thursday we were in Chile together with President Javier Milei and Karina Milei in a deeply positive meeting with President Kast and his foreign minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna in which we reaffirmed the strategic importance of our bilateral relationship and the enormous opportunity that this new stage opens for both countries,” he said.
According to his account, during that meeting both governments signed a joint declaration aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation in various areas.
“We signed there a joint declaration in which we laid down all the potential for cooperation between our countries, and which accurately expresses our horizon in energy, mining, trade, connectivity, and security matters. I reaffirm it in all its terms,” he stated.
It is worth remembering that the Argentine foreign minister had stated that his country is “bicontinental and bioceanic,” in references that were interpreted in the context of the discussion about the South Atlantic and the projection towards Antarctica.
In response, Quirno clarified the scope he attributed to his words, emphasizing that “when I spoke of Argentina’s bicontinental and bioceanic condition I referred to what I said next in that same interview: ‘…strengthen our presence in the South Atlantic, which is the path to Antarctica’.”
Along the same lines, the Argentine Secretary of State assured that the foreign policy of the Milei government contemplates respect for the international instruments signed by the country.
“Our position is clear: always work in good faith, honor the given word, and fully comply with the treaties and agreements in force. It is an unequivocal policy of President Milei,” he said.
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Finally, he declared that “the south is not the end of the map: it is from where Argentina and Chile look at the world. In the southern zone and in Antarctica we share interests, responsibilities, and enormous opportunities for cooperation. Nothing should distract us from the essential: everything that unites Argentines and Chileans and the extraordinary opportunity we have ahead.”
Quirno’s clarifications arise at a time when relations between Santiago and Buenos Aires have been marked by differences regarding the Strait of Magellan.
The most recent episode occurred after statements by the head of the Argentine Air Force, Gustavo Valverde, who, referring to the Argentine presence in the far south, stated that “Magellan, the south, the (Drake Passage), all that is sovereignty, it must be maintained there, presence must be made.”
This prompted a protest note from the Chilean Foreign Ministry. Minister Pérez Mackenna then stated that Chilean sovereignty over the Strait of Magellan “in its entirety is indisputable” and that it is backed by the boundary treaties of 1881 and the Peace and Friendship treaty of 1984.
Subsequently, the Argentine Defense Minister, Carlos Presti, attributed Valverde’s statements to “confusion and carelessness” and assured that “it is not in question that the Strait of Magellan is Chilean.”
The controversy was also addressed during the bilateral meeting that Kast and Milei held on Thursday in Santiago. On that occasion, both leaders discussed the situation of Decree 457/2021 of Argentina, which qualifies the Strait of Magellan as a “shared space” and contemplates references to “joint control.”
To this scenario was added a previous statement by Quirno, who had indicated that Chile could support Argentina in case Buenos Aires required using Chilean territory as logistical support for the Malvinas Islands.
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