SANTIAGO, Jan 27 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Chilean President Sebastián Piñera ratified his administration’s support for “Argentina’s sovereignty claims over the Falklands/Malvinas and other South Atlantic islands,” and called for Argentina and UK to resume talks to find a peaceful solution to the controversy in the framework of UN resolutions on the issue.
Piñera’s statement was registered as point 51 of the joint declaration signed in Santiago on Tuesday by the Chilean leader and the Argentine president Alberto Fernandez during the first of his two day visit to Santiago.
In the same declaration Fernández stated Argentina’s appreciation for the “Chilean government traditional support” in the dispute over the Islands.
Finally both presidents coincided that adopting unilateral actions such as the exploitation of natural resources in the disputed area, “is not compatible with the United Nations accords” and thus “Argentina is entitled to undertake legal actions referred to the current treaties and International Law”
Argentina and Chile are “indissolubly twinned countries”, said Fernandez during the ceremony at the Palacio de la Moneda in Santiago where, next to his peer Piñera, and members of their cabinets, they signed several accords and a joint declaration.
The event was the outstanding point of the two-day State Visit in which both leaders addressed political, trade, defense, foreign policy, connectivity and sanitary issues. The two countries have been hard hit by the pandemic and its consequences and both face significant challenges later this year.
Argentina is holding midterm elections in October for the partial renewal of the Legislative and the president Fernandez administration is targeting a majority in the Lower House to implement constitutional amendments.
Chile will vote for a constitutional convention next April that will rewrite the country’s main chart, a legacy from dictator General Pinochet, which in late 2019 triggered weeks of massive protests, arson, damages, clashes, police brutality bringing to light the inequality and wealth concentration that the Chilean economic model had sponsored. Later in November, a presidential election is scheduled which will mark the end of Conservative Piñera’s government .
“I’m here with president Piñera to see how we address the future together, Chileans and Argentine, in unity, as it must be, and trying to see how we can make our countries and the continent stand up after such a merciless blow as the pandemic”, added Fernandez.
Piñera said that the visit reflects the will and commitment of both governments and countries to continue with closer friendship and collaboration links, “links which are deep and historic.”
The Chilean leader described the visit of his peer Fernandez to Chile as fruitful and deep since it allowed to draw a road map as to how continue to strengthen friendship and collaboration between Argentina and Chile. — NNN-MERCOPRESS
