MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chilean president will address the Falklands issue with Boris Johnson in Egypt

The Chilean president talked with Boris Johnson last week

Chilean president Gabriel Boric will be talking about the Falklands and South Sandwich Islands sovereignty claims with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Argentine president Alberto Fernandez during the next COP27 scheduled for November.

”Last week I held a telephone conversation with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and among other issues we agreed on a bilateral meeting in Egypt when we meet in the framework of COP 27. We support Argentina's sovereignty claim over the South Atlantic Islands (Malvinas and South Sandwich Islands), and I will be also talking with Alberto (Fernandez) and Johnson about the consequences of the issue. Obviously we expect this to be solved through diplomacy and never again by war. In this diplomatic path, we support Argentina's claim“, said president Boric during a visit to his hometown of Punta Arenas, with part of his cabinet.

When asked about links with the Falklands' people to improve ”fluid relations“, tourism, trade and promote student and cultural exchanges, Boric replies, ”these trips you mention exist nowadays, but it is something I should not advance on at the moment. As I said I will be holding bilateral talks with Boris Johnson and Alberto to reach a consensus on the issues“

However Boric despite apparent appeasement towards Argentina regarding South Atlantic islands, said Chile will stand firmly in its differences with Argentina regarding the continental shelf and continental borders.

”Chilean foreign policy is only one and must have continuity from government to government, and this I have made clear to Argentine president Alberto Fernandez, that any differences we might have must be solved peacefully, with the diplomatic instruments we have and must not be an impediment for deeper bilateral relations. Currently we are opening the border since we know people in Ultima Esperanza region have had a rough time collecting their pensions from neighboring Argentine coal mines in Rio Turbio, and also to promote tourism. So I can say we are working jointly and we will solve differences jointly, particularly those of the Antarctic platform at Weddell Bay, and our claims will be recognized“

The Prensa Austral reporter insisted recalling that the previous Chilean government diplomacy was somehow reticent in being more proactive, with Argentina taking advantage of the situation

President Boric anticipated ”we are not going to remain with crossed arms in these issues; I am convinced regarding the Antarctic platform discussion, and Antarctica overall, that we will always request international collaboration. But remember Antarctica is a continent of science and peace, where the concept of sovereignty works differently to the continent, and escalating the volume of such a conflict would be a major mistake from any of the countries involved“.

Finally there is a stretch of the South Icefields, which remains un marked, from the time the matter was addressed in the nineties, Will Chile address the issue?

”Fortunately with president Fernandez we have an excellent relation so hopefully we can address it. When my trip to Argentina we talked about it as well as I did with former president Piñera, the border marking has been affected by geographic changes as a result of the climate change. Nevertheless I's convinced we will solve it in good terms and Chile won't hand any territory at all”. .