MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

68% of Chileans consider the Falklands British and 60% see Argentina as unreliable, poll shows

62% of those polled disagreed with President Kast and the joint statement with Milei that, reiterates, “Chile’s support of Argentine legitimate sovereignty rights over the Malvinas Islands”.

A majority of Chileans consider the Falklands British and regard Argentina as an unreliable partner, according to the latest Plaza Pública survey by pollster Cadem, released days after Argentine President Javier Milei visited Santiago and met his Chilean counterpart, José Antonio Kast.

The poll comes amid bilateral tension over remarks by Argentine political and military officials on the Strait of Magellan, and over Milei's speech at the Madrid Forum, a gathering of right-wing leaders held in Santiago on September 3. 

Asked about the Falklands, 68% of respondents said the islands are British, 17% said they are Argentine and 15% did not answer. The result runs contrary to Chile's official position: in the joint declaration signed by both presidents at La Moneda, Chile reiterated its long-standing backing for Argentina's sovereignty claim. Sixty-two percent disagreed with Kast reaffirming “Chile's support for Argentina's legitimate sovereignty rights over the Malvinas Islands,” while 22% agreed and 16% did not answer.

Argentina maintains its claim to the islands, whose residents voted by 99.8% to remain a British Overseas Territory in a 2013 referendum.

In his speech opening the forum, Milei used a derogatory term to describe leftists and praised what he called four decades of stability and growth following the 1973 overthrow of Salvador Allende. Chilean opposition parties condemned the remarks as a vindication of the coup. According to the poll, 57% considered Milei's words a serious lack of respect toward Chilean political actors, 21% a lack of respect but not a serious one, and 18% said they were not disrespectful.

The dispute over the Strait of Magellan was triggered by comments from the Chief of the General Staff of the Argentine Air Force, Gustavo Valverde, who included the strait among areas of Argentine sovereignty, and by Argentine Decree 457/2021, which describes it as a space shared by both countries. In light of these statements, 69% of respondents believe Argentina has territorial ambitions over Chile, while 24% think it respects Chilean sovereignty in line with existing treaties. In the previous edition of the survey, in the first week of September, the figure stood at 71%.

On the 2021 decree, 54% said Kast should demand that Milei repeal it, while 37% considered the joint declaration sufficient. In it, both presidents reaffirmed the 1881 Boundary Treaty and the 1984 Treaty of Peace and Friendship, which establish Chilean sovereignty over the strait.

Sixty percent of Chileans consider Argentina an unreliable partner. By contrast, Japan (83%), Canada (80%) and England (78%) topped the list of the most trusted partners.

Respondents said Chile should prioritize trade relations with China (60%), the European Union (49%), Canada, Australia and New Zealand (46%), India and Southeast Asia (37%), Latin America (37%) and the United States (32%).

The survey also put Kast's approval rating at 35%, with 61% disapproving of his government.