The neighboring country formally complained to the Argentine Foreign Ministry for the construction of military facilities that, according to what they claim; They invade Chilean territory.
The controversy arises from the construction of the “Maritime Traffic Surveillance and Control Post Milestone 1”; which is located in the Argentine sector of Cape Espíritu Santo of the Big Island of Tierra del Fuego, in the southern sector of the eastern mouth of the Strait of Magellan. Work that according to the website of the Chilean radio Bio Bio, was carried out “without prior notice and with an invasion of more than 3 meters” and that “has a background of proportions since Argentina proposes since 2021 a shared use of the Strait of Magellan , something that Chile has rejected on repeated occasions.”
Within Chile or not, the truth is that last Thursday, April 25, the Argentine Navy inaugurated, on the edge of the Chilean border, the enhancement of the Argentine Maritime Traffic Surveillance and Control Post (PVYCTM) of Hito 1 , from a donation of two housing modules by the Mirgor Foundation , and triple solar energy equipment by the company Total Energies . Work that, according to the same medium, Argentina built “without prior notice or dialogue” to the Chilean Foreign Ministry, and which, according to the report, “exceeded more than 3 meters within Chilean territory.”
Alerted to the situation, Radio Bio Bio consulted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of its country, who confirmed that “the Foreign Ministry is aware of the situation,” taking into account the information provided by “the Directorate of Borders and Limits (who) made a verification on the ground.” Furthermore, indicating that “ subsequently, a formal communication was sent to the Argentine Foreign Ministry noting that said company has a small portion of its facilities in Chilean territory. We are waiting for the response from the Argentine Government. The final objective is for the company to regularize its situation.” Communication that at the close of this edition had not received a response.
“The Argentine initiative, although celebrated locally, ” says the outlet, “ has caused discomfort in Chile, given the delicate geopolitical balance in the region. “The Chilean authorities hope that this development does not affect bilateral collaboration and relations on maritime security and control issues.”
Although the Chilean Foreign Ministry “has not yet made a decision on the matter, since they indicated that they are waiting for the response, there are many who warn that the signal has to be firm. Among these points, they demand the immediate demolition of what was built in our sovereignty.”
The same sources add that the facts cannot be ignored, much less seen as an error, since the defense policy of the Argentine State has been talking for years about “shared space” when referring to the Strait of Magellan.
The media adds that in 2021, under the second government of Sebastián Piñera , Alberto Fernández 's Argentina issued a document in which the military policies of that country were established, expressly and directly warning that the Strait of Magellan should be shared. .
The document, revealed at that time by El Clarín, stated that “ One of the shared spaces that is essential to continue strengthening is that of the exploration, study and joint control over the Strait of Magellan and the Sea of Hoces, strategic spaces both for their role as natural navigable routes between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean as well as constituting privileged access points to the Antarctic continent,” stated the document signed by the President of the Argentine Republic himself, Alberto Fernández.
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