Chilean President José Antonio Kast and Argentine President Javier Milei met on Thursday at the La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago following diplomatic tensions over the Strait of Magellan.
A joint statement issued after the meeting said relations between the two countries were good and that there was a high level of agreement between their governments.
Cause of the diplomatic tensions
The tensions emerged after Argentine Air Force Chief of Staff Brigadier General Gustavo Valverde said Argentina had sovereignty rights over the Strait of Magellan, located at the southern tip of South America.
Following the remarks, Chile’s Foreign Ministry sent an official note of protest to Argentina. The ministry said Chile’s authority over the strait was based on the 1881 Boundary Treaty and the 1984 Treaty of Peace and Friendship.
Chilean sovereignty throughout the strait
Argentine President Milei and the commander of the Argentine Navy later recognized Chilean jurisdiction in the area. The joint statement by Kast and Milei also established that the legal regime of the Strait of Magellan was defined by the 1881 and 1984 treaties, which remain in force and are conclusive for both countries.
The statement also explicitly said that the treaties established Chilean sovereignty over the entire Strait of Magellan.
Support for Argentina’s claims in the South Atlantic
Kast also reiterated Chile’s longstanding diplomatic support for Argentina’s territorial claims in the South Atlantic.
The joint statement said the government in Santiago supported Argentina’s legitimate sovereignty rights over the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands, South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas administered by the United Kingdom.
