Bolivia-Chile relationship in its “coldest” stage despite the affinity between Arce and Boric

The bilateral relationship between Bolivia and Chile is in its coldest stage despite the ideological affinity between its presidents, Luis Arce and Gabriel Boric, respectively, because the position of both countries regarding the centuries-old Bolivian maritime claim has not changed.

Bolivia and Chile have not had diplomatic relations at the ambassador level since 1978 due to Bolivia’s claim to sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean lost in the so-called Pacific War.

In 2013, the then Government of Evo Morales (2006-2019) sued Chili before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in search of a ruling that requires it to negotiate firmly and in good faith sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean, but in 2018 the court determined that the Chilean State does not have the legal obligation to negotiate with Bolivia.

The then Bolivian authorities defended that the Court also indicated in its ruling that although Chile does not have that obligation, that does not represent an impediment for both countries to dialogue.

This position was recently ratified by President Arce, who assured that the ruling recognizes that Bolivia “born with sea” and “does not close the possibility that agreements can be reached through dialogue”.

“That is exactly what the country must do in a very well analyzed, very well thought out strategy so that we can achieve the objective that all Bolivians want.“, said the ruler and also confirmed that the maritime aspiration of his country is “inalienable”.

The declaration of Maple arose in light of the commemoration this March 23 of the so-called Day of the Sea, when Bolivians remember that on that date in 1879 the country’s first resistance took place against what national authorities describe as an invasion by Chilean troops, which began on February 14. of the same year.

distant relationship

The arrival of Boric The Chilean Presidency in 2022 was seen in Bolivia as the possibility of a new stage of bilateral relations due to Arce’s ideological affinity with that president, as happened at the time with Evo Morales and the also leftist Michelle Bachelet.

However, that has not happened and Bolivia will reach Sea Day.”with a very cold relationship” with Chile and “a situation that does not generate any type of enthusiasm or expectation“international affairs analyst Andrés Guzmán told EFE.

“But on this occasion, things have no relevance, it is not a much discussed topic and that is because relations have remained very cold, very distant, despite the ideological affinities that initially generated certain expectations, because they are both Governments. from left”he explained.

Guzmán recalled the ’13 Point Agenda’ established by Morales and Bachelet in 2006, which marked an “unprecedented moment in the history of relations” between Bolivia and Chili for the rapprochement between both governments.

In his opinion, the 2018 ruling “still has a sedative effect” either “freezer” in relations, which deteriorated when Bolivia filed the complaint before the ICJ and so far have not been able to return to the level of “high understanding” that existed between 2006 and 2010.

The expectations of what could happen with Boric came to nothing after a few days after his inauguration, the Chilean leader expressed his desire to move towards the resumption of diplomatic relations with Bolivia, but without negotiating its sovereignty and without “putting the cart before the oxen.”

Arce replied, precisely on Sea Day 2022, that the reestablishment of relations “It can only be given within the framework of the solution to the pending maritime issue”.

For Guzmán, “Both presidents put their irreconcilable positions and that was it.“the rapprochement, something that apparently will not change as long as the conditions of both countries continue to be”rigid”.

The analyst also considered that Bolivia is not taking the initiative and that “it seems that there is no interest whatsoever,” or that the Government prefers to give the issue a low profile in the face of “failure” which was the demand before the ICJ, taking into account that it was an initiative of the ruling Movement towards Socialism (MAS).

He added that Bolivia would have to go from “claim” and the “victimization” to “propose solutions that look forward” and that they take into account “what other landlocked countries are doing that are improving their conditions in some way.”