Chile's Defence Minister resigned, the government said, the first minister to leave the Cabinet since President Sebastian Piñera took power last year.
With the participation of delegations from 34 countries South America’s largest naval exposition was officially opened Tuesday in Valaparaíso. The seventh edition of ExpoNaval is scheduled to last until next Friday with business deals reaching 600 million US dollars according to the organizers.
Chile and Bolivian Defence ministers and Army commanders will be meeting Thursday to sign documents declaring Fields free of mines, the border areas of Tambo Quemado 1 and Tambo Quemado 2 along their common border which until only recently were planted with thousands of mines.
Peruvian Defence Minister Rafael Rey said this week that representatives from Chile and Peru would meet next Monday for the first time in an effort to establish common criteria for approving military expenditures. Rey also said he would meet with his Chilean counterpart, Jaime Ravinet, in Lima in August.
The Peruvian government’s claim that Chile is undergoing a tremendous arms build-up has once again come to the forefront of Latin American international relations.
Chile and Argentina agreed Friday an ample cooperation in military issues including the design and manufacturing of a joint aircraft for their respective air forces and the training of a rapid deployment force in support of United Nations peace missions.
The Chilean Navy incorporated this week its largest unit, a 42.000 tons tanker, AO-52 “Almirante Montt” which will play a vital role in supplying the surface fleet. The tanker was purchased from the US Navy and will replace AO-53 “Araucano” decommissioned after forty years service.