The lifting of a part of the Maritime Traffic Surveillance and Control Post Milestone 1 of the Argentina Army more than three meters inside Chilean territory has generated questions in that country for not demanding its immediate removal and only sending a formal claim, considering it as a “good faith error.” Its location has generated additional concern over Argentina’s claim for shared control of the Strait of Magellana step in which Chile has full sovereignty according to international treaties.
In an interview published in the newspaper The Mercurythe executive director of AthenaLab, Juan Pablo Torostated that “Chile must file a formal complaint and demand the removal of the facilities in Chilean territory immediately. If Argentina says that it cannot remove the facilities, then Chile must offer all assistance to do so. Otherwise, it will proceed to dismantling of the facilities”.
Toro indicated that if the Chilean Navy reported this construction on the Big Island of Tierra del Fuego in April, “then the highest authorities should have taken measures to prevent this construction from materializing and exercise their duty to protect sovereignty,” and questioned why Argentina decided to locate this facility at the eastern mouth of the Strait of Magellan.
“Why is Argentina building a facility meters from the border, and not hundreds of meters, and that overlooks the Strait of Magellan, over which Chile has full sovereignty? Unless they remain convinced that it is a ‘ shared space’, as wrongly stated by his Defense Policy“said the international analyst.
Regarding how this affects national defense, Toro maintained that 40 years after Treaty of Peace and Friendship“we must remember that the best we have done in dealing with Argentina is when all the instruments of State power have been used simultaneously and in coordination, which include the diplomatic, economic and communicational ones. The result of 1984 was reached after Chile will demonstrate all its determination to defend the territory in critical moments”.
Regarding the measures to be taken, he indicated that it is necessary to advance a comprehensive development strategy of the southern tip to reinforce Chile’s position in Magallanes and Antarctica that includes the expansion of the force and connectivity infrastructure, stimuli for settlement based on activities such as green hydrogen and southern tourism, and the diplomatic approach with other international actors in this area such as the United Kingdom.
Political background
For his part, the former Director of Intelligence of the Chilean Navy, Rear Admiral (r) Óscar Aranda, told the digital media Ex-Ante The serious thing about this fact, even more so than the placement of solar panels in national territory, is that the Argentine authorities “are building an observation and control post at the eastern mouth of the Strait of Magellan.”
For Aranda, the objective of this installation “is to exercise observation and control… This error highlighted a situation, related to the geopolitical constants that explain Argentine behavior. First, Argentina looks to the south because to the north it is contained by Brazil. There is no possibility of growing, of expanding, of increasing its sphere of influence towards the north, where Brazil does the same, because there is an area of friction where there are small satellite states that cushion each other, which are Uruguay and Paraguay and Bolivia.”
The retired rear admiral explained that “the second key is that for Argentines the fundamental thing is not the pledged word, nor international treaties nor friendship, but rather the most important thing is the national interest.” In that sense, he mentioned the cases of Beagle Channel Award of 1977 that Argentina declared void and non-compliance with the gas sale treaty to Chile, highlighting that its internal policy is reflected in foreign policy actions.
Aranda maintains that this has a political background: “The Treaty of 1881 declares that the Strait of Magellan is Chilean. However, already in the first half of the 20th century there were Argentine thinkers who began to develop the theory that although the strait is Chilean, the gateway to the strait is Argentina. Therefore, control of the strait has to belong to both countries. This Argentine geopolitical theory was officially expressed for the first time in 2021. Argentina issues the Decree 457, where he says that it is essential to continue strengthening joint control of the Strait of Magellan. That provoked a note of protest from Chile. And through diplomatic channels, Argentina promised to correct the Decree 457which he didn’t do.”
The retired officer points out his concern since for “the first time, a declarative strategy is materialized in a concrete fact. In the construction of a post with which Argentina moves towards implementing its theory of joint control of the eastern mouth of the strait. It is striking that this was built meters from the border. But no one did anything until everything was installed. The laxity of the border is worrying. Chancellery facing the Argentine issue. “With Argentina we are sister nations, but brothers also have problems.”
Aranda emphasized the seriousness of this error in the construction of facilities that Argentina carried out in Chilean territory, indicating that “in this way the underlying issue was made relevant. It is one more step that Argentina develops, going from the declarative and theoretical to the concrete. , towards shared control of traffic. Which would mean ignoring what is stipulated in the Treaty of 1881 and which was also reiterated in article 10 of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 84“, adding that “the important thing is that on this occasion the national interest is safeguarded and Argentina is required to abandon its claim for shared control of the eastern mouth of the Strait of Magellan, because that deviates from what Argentina and Chile have signed in various treaties. Regardless of whether they set up a position, they can do it sovereignly wherever they want.”
