MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina abstains from joint naval exercises with Chile

For the second year running the Argentine Congress denied authorization for Navy personnel and units to leave the country to participate in the joint Viekaren exercises with the Chilean Navy in the southern seas, which have been held regularly since 1999.

The purpose of the exercises is to increase the operational capabilities of both navies for emergencies in the area, besides confidence building and building closer links. The Viekaren ("confidence" in Yagan dialect of Tierra del Fuego indigenous population) annual exercises were agreed on April 1999 to be deployed in the third quarter of the year in the area extending from Cape Horn to the Beagle Channel. The Chilean Navy said officially that they were informed of the Argentine decision just a few days before the beginning of the event, when their units were already sailing towards Punta Arenas. However "relations with the Argentine Navy are in good standing" and the cancelling of the exercise "was not a decision of the Navy's command", suggesting it was more political. The last full exercise took place in 2006 when the Chilean navy participated with the high seas tug "Lautaro", the patrol vessel "Isaza", support vessel "Alacalufe" and a MBB-105 helicopter, besides all the rescue and environment protection personnel and infrastructure stationed in Puerto Williams, Tierra del Fuego. Argentina participated with the high seas tug "Sobral", the patrol vessel "Barranquera", an air naval patrol B-200 plus the logistics from Ushuaia. Last year the exercise had to be cancelled because the Argentine Congress did not vote on time the necessary funds for displaying troops and vessels in the south since it was an election year and legislators insisted in discussing the issue. Another combined naval exercise, "Integration" which includes surface vessels and air naval support from the two navies and which takes place annually since 1998 also had to be cancelled in 2007 and this year. The decision to have a Joint Chilean-Argentine Antarctic Patrol which is deployed during summer months in the southern and Antarctic seas, plus "Integration" were the practical results reached in 1997 in Chile between the ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence from both countries. The idea behind these joint defence exercises is to leave behind decades of mistrust, almost-war situations and create a constructive, neighbourly atmosphere between the military of both countries.