La Tercera · September 28, 2026

Chile Reaffirms Its Support for Argentina's Claim to the Malvinas Islands Following Remarks by Its Minister

La Tercera reported that Chilean Defense Minister Fernando Barros reopened the debate over the islands by stating on a radio station in Magallanes that, while his country supports Argentina’s sovereignty claim, there is one concrete fact: a friendly nation that has administered the archipelago for two centuries. These remarks were widely reported in the Argentine press and stood in contrast to the joint statement that Milei and José Antonio Kast signed on September 3 at La Moneda in support of Argentina’s rights.

According to the Chilean newspaper, Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna reaffirmed the policy in place since 1992 following a questioning in the Chamber of Deputies, while Barros denied any shift in policy and assured that “President Kast’s government has not altered that in the least.” The episode coincided with Argentina’s announcement of international arbitration against London over oil exploration in the area and with measures against a British firm regarding flights between the islands and Punta Arenas.

Via La Tercera