Argentina and Chile prepare to celebrate 1984 peace and friendship treaty

Friday, April 11th 2014 - 04:45 UTC

Full article 25 comments

Ministers Rossi and Burgos Varela made the announcement in Buenos Aires

The treaty put an end to the dispute over three islands in the Beagle Channel

Argentina and Chile defense ministers Agustín Rossi and Jorge Burgos Varela met in Buenos Aires 'to continue advancing and deepening' the bilateral relation, which this year will have a special celebration motive: the 30th anniversary of the Peace and Friendship treaty which definitively put an end to the Beagle Channel longstanding dispute.

“Defense policies contribute to cement relations between neighboring countries”, said Rossi who added that “in these last years we have reinforced our friendship with Chile”.

During the meeting at the Libertador Building, seat of the Argentine Defense ministry in Buenos Aires both ministers recalled the Peace and Friendship Treaty which was signed in 1984 and sealed trust between the neighboring countries by ending the historic dispute over three islands in the Beagle Channel.

At the time, and only two years following the 1982 Falklands war, then elected President Ricardo Alfonsín called a referendum which overwhelmingly supported the treaty thus closing the dispute. Chile was then still ruled by dictator Augusto Pinochet.

The Beagle Channel and the disputed three islands which dominate the confluence of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans are in the extreme south of South America.

Since that treaty, “the axis of Argentina's foreign policy has been the region” underlined Rossi.

“This is a first visit with the purpose of consolidating relations between the two countries. We believe there is ample space to keep growing jointly”, said the visiting minister Burgos Varela on his first overseas trip.

Last month newly elected president Michelle Bachelet took office and she has also anticipated that her first overseas trip, as head of state will be to Buenos Aires to meet Argentine president Cristina Fernandez.

Both ministers also underlined the commitment to peace from the armed forces of the two countries, an example of which is the joint peace-force Southern Cross, and the importance of their planned deployment next year in Haiti “to guarantee the electoral process”.

In a joint statement the ministers proposed further cooperation in cyber defense issues, with the creation of a bilateral group as well as an increase in military coordination for emergency situations.

The document also underlines the importance of ensuring that South America effectively becomes a zone of peace; to further cooperate with the South American Defense Council in the framework of Unausr and to continue with the Antarctica combined naval patrolling with the purpose of safeguarding human lives at sea and to prevent incidents of contamination.

Categories: Politics, Argentina, Latin America.

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LEPRecon
It's good to see Argentina acting like an adult for once (but we'll wait and see how long it is before they are saying the usual - Chile supports Argentina's claim over the Falklands, blah, blah, blah.) Peace is a good thing, but I'll bet Chile still doesn't trust Argentina as far as they could throw them.

It's a pity that they can't be more adult in their dealings with the Falkland Islanders.

Perhaps Argentina's 'axis' (poor choice of words?) of Argentina's foreign policy should be to raise it's profile across the world. It could start by paying off it's debts. That would certainly increase it's standing in the world.

But never mind. One day Argentina might be lucky enough to get a decent government that actually does something to help improve Argentina instead of lining their own pockets.
Apr 11th, 2014 - 05:30 am 0
CaptainSilver
Argentina can't pay its debts, its broke. Don't believe the figures on reserves, they are of the same quality as all the government statistics - lies.
Apr 11th, 2014 - 09:27 am 0
pgerman
Basically, the relationship between Argentina and Chile have always been good one. Taking into account that they share one of the larger border in the World the relationships were very good. They have never been engaged in a war between them.

Please, compare this history to European countries ones.....they have been fighting among them since the beginning of times. Just after WWII they realized that war brought them poverty and sufferings.

In addition, it is qiute clear that Chile and Argentina consider that they are neighbors while the UK have never consider itself as a neighboring country of Argentina.

Both, Chile and Argentina understood that, no matter the result of an hipotetical war, they would have to share the border forever. While the UK considers that by winning a war everything is settled.

Argentina and Chle, learned to understand that they will always need each other. The UK doesn't need to talk...because it doesn't need Argentina, or Chile....“we don´t need these underdeveloped and barbaric countries at all”

The future will show us who is wrong. Either the UK, or Chile and Argentina working toghether.
Apr 11th, 2014 - 12:25 pm 0

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