Tuesday, August 25th 2026 - 21:28 UTC
The 1881 treaty recognised Chilean sovereignty over the strait and established its perpetual neutralisation, with free navigation for vessels of all nations
Argentina's foreign ministry issued a statement on Tuesday reaffirming that its position on the Strait of Magellan is the one established by the 1881 Boundary Treaty and the 1984 Treaty of Peace and Friendship, a day after Chile announced it would send a note of protest over remarks by the head of the Argentine Air Force General Staff.
“Both instruments are fully in force and are considered definitive by the Argentine Republic,” says the text, titled “Argentina's position on the Strait of Magellan and cooperation with Chile in the South Atlantic and Antarctica.” The document, issued by the ministry headed by Pablo Quirno, makes no mention of Brigadier General Gustavo Javier Valverde, whose words triggered the episode.
Valverde said on Sunday, in an interview with a YouTube channel, that “Magellan, the south, the Drake, all of that is sovereignty” and that it was necessary to “maintain a presence” in the area because it constituted “a bioceanic key.” Chilean authorities interpreted his words as a challenge to their country's sovereignty over the southern passage.
