Given the gas supply problems at the Argentine Customs Office, located at the Jeinimeni Border Crossing, the decision has been made to interrupt border service until further notice.which generates serious inconveniences in the communication of both locations, which maintain commercial, health and family relations.
In this context, TiempoSur spoke with Luperciano Muñoz, mayor of the Chilean city of Chile Chico, He initially expressed anger at the Chilean authorities in his region and country, saying that “it is disrespectful that the Presidential Delegation of Chile has not informed me of this situation communicated by the Argentine government and the decision to close the border crossing,” and reproached: “It is worrying that a government does not communicate with its mayor, I have never been invited to an integration committee, but beyond this, what bothers me is that this government does nothing. A border crossing that is very important to us due to emergency, logistics, and commercial situations is being closed, and it seems that it will have no impact on our community.”
However, and despite the lack of dialogue between Chilean authorities, both national and communal, the Presidential Delegation of the Chilean government confirmed that “Speed has been requested to reestablish service in that sector and thus enable passage for Chileans who need to be able to travel along Provincial Route 43, in the Argentine province of Santa Cruz.” Despite this, it is still not clear when the reestablishment of border service may occur, and they assure that “emergency situations are being attended to in Chilean and Argentine Customs through the Jeinimeni crossing, as long as the coordination in advance.”
“All the mechanisms of the Ministry of the Interior and Public Security have been activated, which allow this situation to be resolved as soon as possible, also involving diplomatic relations that allow us to maintain dialogue with Argentina,” said the central government authorities in the Chilean patagonia.
Despite this official communication, the mayor of Chile Chico stated: “Although it is a problem on the Argentine side, we wonder what is being done by our government. One cannot assume the reality of the Argentine government announcing the closure of the complex due to lack of heating. It is an abnormal situation, the border crossing was not closed even in the worst moments, even when the Hudson volcano occurred and it is closed now due to a heating issue, it is illogical,” and he remarked: “He rejected the decision in its entirety. aspect, it plays with the dignity of the people. Los Antiguos is the most immediate communication to solve our problems, not even with the Chilean government many times. If the problem is gas, we lend them electric heaters so they can attend to it, but the chancellery of this government has to solve it.”
Muñoz pointed out that the decision was without consultation, he even stated that the mayor of Los Antiguos herself, Zulma Neira, was informed of the situation as a result of the claim from the Chilean side. “At the foreign ministry level it should be solved instantly, the Chilean government should inform the Argentine government that it cannot be closed. “If we admit these situations, anything can happen and we won’t even find out.”
