The unprecedented escalation was relevant in the last hours, after, at the end of last April; the Argentine Navy and the government of Tierra del Fuego headed by Governor Gustavo Melella ; They will inaugurate new housing facilities and a solar energy plant, at the Hito 1 Maritime Transit Surveillance and Control Post, located at the southwestern mouth of the Strait of Magellan.
But the truth is that, in the last days; Chile denounced that these panels are three meters within its territory and requested their removal.
The fact was admitted by the Argentine government through the ambassador of our country in Chile, Jorge Faurie ; He described this situation as “a good faith error,” although he stated that the honeycombs could not be removed until next summer due to the weather conditions in the southern province.
In the diplomatic back and forth, the reply came directly from Chilean President Gabriel Boric , who said that “borders are not something that can be ambiguous” because “it is a basic principle of respect between countries.” “Therefore, they must remove those solar panels as soon as possible or we are going to do it,” he stated.
In contact with the press in his country, Boric acknowledged that Chile received “an apology from the Argentine Foreign Ministry,” but confirmed that the problem remained open.
The situation reached the point that Boric spoke with Argentine President Javier Milei and he assured him that he would refer the issue to Foreign Minister Diana Mondino, whose permanence in the San Martín Palace continues to hang by a few threads.
Based on “the excellent relationship” that exists between both countries, Boric expressed that “we are not going to have problems” in solving the counterpoint. However, he stressed that Argentina's decision to have crossed the border "is a misleading signal that we do not like and therefore what we demand is that this be resolved in the shortest possible time." “I insist, if not we are going to do it,” he emphasized.
The solar panels of the conflict
In April of this year, the Argentine Navy and the Fuegian Government inaugurated the works to renew the Hito 1 Maritime Traffic Surveillance and Control Post , based on a donation of two housing modules by the Mirgor Foundation and energy equipment. provided by the oil company Total Energies .
Photography courtesy: Engineer Sergio Raymundo
Both structures are close to the border with Chile, but evidently the photovoltaic screens that provide electricity and autonomy to the Argentine military were installed within Chilean territorial jurisdiction.
Faurié 's explanation was that “it was a material error because whoever installed the solar panels is a company that donated those panels (…), was guided by a fence from a room in the area. In reality, it should have been guided by the satellite coordinates that demarcate boundaries,” he said; which also shows that Chile did not say anything for a period of 123 years, that the fence of Estancia Cullen (founded in 1901), was introduced into its territory.
Sources:
Book “Land of Fire”, by Rae Natalie Prosser Goodall, 1979 edition
