Chilean deputy likens British sovereignty in the Falklands to Chile's in Magellan

A Chilean deputy likened British control of the Falkland Islands to Chile's control of the Strait of Magellan during a parliamentary debate, an opinion that conflicts with Santiago's official stance supporting Argentina's claim to the territory. Javier Olivares Avendaño, a People's Party member and chairman of the intelligence system committee, made the comparison during a National Defense Committee meeting on Tuesday: "Just as the Falklands belong to England, the Strait of Magellan belongs to Chile."

The People's Party is a center-right group founded in 2019, unaffiliated with the government. His comments emerged as a bilateral dispute escalated on August 23, when Argentina's air force chief of staff, Brigadier General Gustavo Javier Valverde, in a livestream program, referred to Magellan, the South, and the Drake Passage as areas of sovereignty, describing the region as a bi-oceanic key.

Chile submitted a protest note and its foreign minister, Francisco Pérez Mackenna, affirmed Chilean sovereignty over the strait, citing treaties of 1881 and 1984. Tensions subsided after Argentine Defense Minister Carlos Presti contacted his Chilean counterpart, Fernando Barros Tocornal, clarifying Valverde's remarks as a misunderstanding, stating the officer is well-versed in the relevant legislation and treaties.

On September 3, Presidents José Antonio Kast and Javier Milei issued a joint declaration in Santiago, asserting the legal regime of the strait is established by those two treaties, definitive and binding. Chilean media noted it was the first official recognition by Argentina of Chilean sovereignty over the entire strait. The controversy flared again when Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno called his nation bi-oceanic while discussing a naval base in Tierra del Fuego, and Senator Patricia Bullrich included control of the strait among Argentina's strategic goals.

Bullrich subsequently sent a letter acknowledging her remarks were due to confusion with the Beagle Channel, apologized to Kast, and requested Chile's forgiveness. This led the Chilean legislature to vote 57 to 49 (with one abstention) to summon Pérez Mackenna, who will be the first minister in Kast's cabinet to testify before Congress on September 28.

The session will address thirteen topics, including the ongoing validity of Argentine decree 457/2021, which refers to joint control of the strait—Buenos Aires acknowledges as an erroneous formulation but has not rescinded. The sovereignty dispute over the Falklands remains unresolved between the United Kingdom and Argentina, with the latter claiming the islands. In the 2013 referendum, 99.8% of Falkland voters opted to remain a British overseas territory.