“They must remove those solar panels as soon as possible or we are going to do it”. With those words, President Gabriel Boric gave an ultimatum to Argentina for the controversial military base that was installed in Chilean territory.
Although the president pointed out that the Argentine Foreign Ministry had sent an apology for the events, he also emphasized that borders are not an issue with which one can “have ambiguities” because they are a “basic principle of respect” between the two nations.
“I imagine that we are not going to have problems in this regard, but it is a misleading signal, a signal that we do not like and therefore what we demand is that this be resolved in the shortest possible time”Boric stressed in the middle of his tour of Europe.
This is the Argentine military base
The border controversy began to brew on April 29, the day the Argentine Navy inaugurated the “Maritime Traffic Surveillance and Control Post Milestone 1” in order to improve the living and working conditions of the institution’s staff.
The work is located in the heart of Patagonia, on the exact border that divides Chile from the trans-Andean country. On the Chilean side it is located in Tierra del Fuego, Magallanes region.
According to the Argentine Navy, The Mirgor Foundation and the company Total Energies donated two housing modules and solar panels to provide electricity. In addition to these structures, photovoltaic screens were also installed.
“This initiative will improve the conditions of habitability, operation and sustainability of the post, constituting an example of joint work between the institutions of the National State and the contribution of private companies,” said Commodore José Alberto Martí Garro at the inauguration ceremony.
However, it was later discovered that the solar panels had crossed more than three meters into Chilean territory. This was verified on the ground by the Directorate of State Borders and Limits, an agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It is also a strategic area: it is where the eastern mouth of the Strait of Magellan is located.
Last week, the Argentine ambassador to Chile, Jorge Faurie, acknowledged that it had been a “material error,” since whoever was in charge of the installation had been guided “by a wire fence in a room” that is there. . He also argued that it would not be feasible to complete the withdrawal so soon.
“The issue is that moving them would not be possible at this time. We would have to wait for the summer,” were Faurie’s words.
After the warning sent by President Boric, the media Infobae reported that the Argentine government plans to remove the solar panels in the next few hours. The official announcement should come to light this Monday, after meetings between Foreign Minister Diana Mondino and the Minister of Defense of Argentina, Luis Petri.
