From Paris, France, the President Gabriel Boric referred to the installation of a military base Argentina in Chilean territory.
The head of state explained that he had spoken about the incident with the trans-Andean president, Javier Milei, and that he hoped it would be resolved as soon as possible. “Here what we have to do is respect the borders. “That is what we are demanding regarding our territory.”
Along the same lines, Boric also issued a warning to the Argentine government: “They must remove those solar panels as soon as possible or we are going to do it.”
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 the 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 revealed that the solar panels crossed more than three meters into Chilean territory. This was confirmed 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.
