Parliamentarians of the Chilean Defense Commission met Thursday in a special session at the Chilean Antarctic to address “the prevailing geopolitical conditions” at a time of diplomatic friction with Argentina for sovereignty claims and a supposed oil discovery that he made Russia.
The legislators arrived on the white continent on Thursday morning and held a meeting at the Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva air base, in which the Minister of Defense, Maya Fernández, and the commander in chief of the Chilean Air Force, Hugo Rodríguez, also participated. .
The meeting is an act of “national sovereignty” against “any external threat” and as a sign “of protection of the national territory,” said representative Camila Flores, a member of the commission, on her Instagram account before the meeting. .
“We are going to be meeting in Antarctica in an act of sovereignty, protection and support for our national sovereignty.” against any threat from our neighborswhether they are Russian, whether they are Argentine, as a sign of protection of our national territory,” he said in a video.
Although it is not the first time that the Chilean commission meets in the Antarctic territory, this session has a special character due to “the prevailing geopolitical conditions,” detailed the Chamber of Deputies.
The meeting takes place at a time of diplomatic exchanges with Argentina over sovereignty claims after the Argentine president Javier Milei announced in April the construction of a military base in Patagonia with the participation of the United States. On the occasion, Milei stated that this facility “endorses our claim to Antarctica,” statements that were immediately refuted by the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Chilean authorities have also expressed concern over the alleged discovery – not yet confirmed – of some 500 million tons of oil by Russian scientists in Antarcticaa territory claimed by Chile, Argentina and the United Kingdom, among other nations.
According to a report presented last week in the British Parliament, Russia has discovered gigantic oil reserves on the frozen continent, where any type of exploitation is expressly prohibited in the Antarctic Treaty, in force since 1961.
The alleged discovery has generated concern at a global level not only due to its possible interest in the economic potential but also due to the political and environmental implications.
The president of the Defense Commission, Francisco Undurragaacknowledged before the meeting that the latest events “have opened up some issues that concern us” and highlighted that Chile will continue defending that Antarctica “is a continent for peace and not for war.”, also that the treaty remains in force.” The president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, spoke along the same lines a few days ago, emphasizing that the country “has defended, defends and will defend that Antarctica is a continent of science and peace” and will “firmly oppose any commercial exploitation of minerals and hydrocarbons.”
“We will work together with all the claimant countries and the signatories of the Antarctic Treaty to ensure respect for this norm by any nation,” he concluded in a message published on X, formerly Twitter.
Signed in December 1959 and in force since June 23, 1961, the Antarctic Treaty It was ratified by the 12 countries that had previously developed activities on the white continent. The signatory countries were Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, Norway, Belgium, South Africa, Russia, Chile, France, Great Britain, Japan and the United States.
Among other points, the alliance establishes Antarctica as a continent dedicated to peace and science, prohibits any exploitation in its territory and freezes any territorial claim.
Among the signatories there are seven countries (Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, Norway, New Zealand and the United Kingdom) with territorial claims, while the United States and Russia consider that they have “foundations to claim.”
But as stipulated in the agreement, no activity carried out while the treaty is in force “will constitute grounds for asserting, supporting or denying a claim to territorial sovereignty” in Antarctica.
(With information from AP)
