Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast and Argentine President Javier Milei met at the La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago to ease the diplomatic tensions over the Strait of Magellan.
A joint statement issued after the meeting said relations between the two countries were in good shape and that the level of agreement between their governments was high.
How the tensions began
The diplomatic tensions began after Argentine Air Force Chief of Staff Brigadier General Gustavo Valverde said Argentina had sovereign rights over the Strait of Magellan, located at the southern tip of South America.
Following Valverde’s remarks, Chile’s Foreign Ministry delivered a formal protest note to Argentina. The ministry stressed that Chile’s authority over the strait was based on the 1881 Boundary Treaty and the 1984 Treaty of Peace and Friendship.

Chile’s sovereignty reaffirmed
Milei and the commander of the Argentine Navy later recognized Chilean jurisdiction in the area. A joint statement by Kast and Milei also said the legal regime of the Strait of Magellan was established by the two treaties, which remain in force and are definitive for both countries.
The statement made clear that the treaties establish Chilean sovereignty over the entire Strait of Magellan.
Support for Argentina’s South Atlantic claims
Kast reiterated Chile’s long-standing diplomatic support for Argentina’s territorial claims in the South Atlantic.
The joint statement said the government in Santiago supported Argentina’s legitimate sovereign rights over the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands, South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas under British administration.