The Minister of Defense, Jorge Taiana , accompanied by his Health counterparts, Carla Vizzotti ; and Science and Technology, Daniel Filmus - to whom were added high military authorities from the 3 Armed Forces and officials from different government agencies - arrived last Thursday the 6th at the joint Antarctic base 'Vice Comodoro Marambio', and Chile took note for certain expressions.
Although the formal reason for the ministerial landing on the White Continent was the holding of the monthly meeting of the Interinstitutional Council of Science and Technology (CICyT), it was the same head of Defense who was in charge of clarifying that they were there to reaffirm the Argentine presence in the Antarctica.
Trans-Andean unrest
A few hours after the arrival of the official delegation and in a reserved manner - for now - Chilean military authorities expressed concern about the presence not only of three national ministers but also of the highest Argentine military authority (Lieutenant General Juan Martín Paleo ) and other senior military leaders.
It happens that this gesture is added to other moves that have been generated by the portfolio headed by Jorge Taiana and that have as their primary objective the reaffirmation of the bicontinental character of Argentina, greater control in the South Atlantic, the radarization of southern airspace and the reaffirmation of Argentine rights over a portion of the white continent outside the prescriptions of the Antarctic treaty.
It is worth remembering that a few weeks after the commissioning of an air surveillance and control radar developed by INVAP, at least five irregular flights originating from the country's western border flew over Argentine airspace without authorization.
"It must be understood that - from this side of the mountain range - we Chileans follow with attention and concern some gestures of Argentine policy in everything related to the Antarctic issue since we cannot ignore that the territorial claims of both countries are practically coincident and that The Antarctic Treaty is fully in force, which has frozen the sovereignty claims of the signatory states of the same, Argentina is the founder of the treaty and also holds the headquarters of the general secretariat. , said a senior Chilean military official in dialogue with Fernando Morales, a columnist for Urgente24 .
The Chilean naval source also stated that, just as Argentina has obtained partial recognition from the UN in its claim for the extension of the continental shelf up to 350 nautical miles, Chile is in the same process. "If we are finally granted the proposed delimitation, we will have a sovereign maritime area that will overlap with that of Argentina, we will come into collision with treaties in force since before the Convention on the Law of the Sea came into force and we will have to exert extreme will to negotiate." to coexist with a new geopolitical reality and the launch of the new official map of the Argentine Republic definitely does not help the conciliation of the interests of both parties,” said the source.
The scientific conclave
Aside from the territorial claims maintained even by Daniel Filmus in the days prior to his arrival in Antarctica, the national authorities officially addressed an agenda related to updating the status of several scientific investigations currently underway in the various permanent Antarctic bases as well as also aspects related to global warming and climate change. Another topic on the agenda is the creation of a new marine protected area at the western end of Antarctica, although in this case it is carried out jointly with Chile.Among the organizations that met in Marambio were: CONICET, INIDEP, INTA, INTI, Naval Hydrography Service, National Meteorological Service, National Geographic Institute and CITEDEF.
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Photographs: INFOBAE
