Diplomatic tension: Chile updated the limits of its continental shelf and the Argentine Foreign Ministry accused the country of trying to appropriate national territory

By: MRT Desk

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Diplomatic tension: Chile updated the limits of its continental shelf and the Argentine Foreign Ministry accused the country of trying to appropriate national territory

In a diplomatic gesture that generates strong tension within the territorial dispute between Argentina and Chile in the south, the Chilean president, Sebastián Piñera, “updated”, through two decrees, the areas of maritime sovereignty in the Austral Zone, projecting the continental shelf from 200 nautical miles from the Diego Ramírez Islands. “The measure attempted by Chile intends to appropriate a part of the Argentine continental shelf and a large area of ​​the seabed and ocean, “the Argentine Foreign Ministry responded with a statement this Saturday.

The Foreign Ministry statement

The Argentine Government became aware of a measure from the Government of Chile published yesterday and dated August 23 in the Official Gazette of that country, relating to maritime spaces.

This measure aims to project the continental shelf east of meridian 67º 16´ 0, which clearly does not agree with the Treaty of Peace and Friendship concluded between both countries in 1984.

The outer limit of the Argentine continental shelf in this area is reflected in National Law 27,557, approved on August 4, 2020 unanimously in both Chambers of the National Congress and promulgated by the Executive Power on August 24 of that same year. . Said law merely collects in an internal norm the timely presentation made by the Argentine Government on said area before the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLPC). This presentation is fully consistent with the Treaty of Peace and Friendship and was approved without question by said Commission for the purpose of establishing a definitive and binding maritime boundary in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Neither the presentation nor the Commission’s decision were contested by Chile.

The measure attempted by Chile seeks to appropriate part of the Argentine continental shelf and an extensive area of ​​the seabed and ocean, a maritime space that is part of the Common Heritage of Humanity in accordance with the United Nations Convention on Law. del Mar. Consequently, the aforementioned Chilean claim is not acceptable to the Argentine Republic and raises a situation that will have to be resolved through dialogue in defense of Argentine rights; according to the historic brotherhood of our peoples and international law.

This news is being updated.

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