Chile-Bolivia Relations

BY: Camila Angulo and Florencia Alem

The Bolivia-Chile relations refer to relations between the Republic of Chile and the Plurinational State of Bolivia. These two South American countries have been stretched relations after independence in the early nineteenth century, due to the dispute Corredor Atacama. Relations turned sour after Bolivia lost its coastline to Chile for the late nineteenth century, during the Pacific War, becoming a country landlocked sea. However, Bolivia still demands a sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean. Today both countries share a border of 942 km long.Chile and Bolivia have maintained only consular relations since 1978 when territorial negotiations failed seeking a solution to Bolivia's landlocked. With the inauguration of Michelle Bachelet in Chile, relations improved; however, in 2012 the territorial dispute became more serious and President Evo Morales sued Chile before the International Court of Justice in 2013, starting a new process of tension between the two countries.

 Arguments of the Bolivian positionIt was said that Chile had an obligation to negotiate an agreement granting Bolivia a sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean and that Chile has failed to fulfill that obligation with Bolivia, and must fulfill the obligation.Arguments of the Chilean positionThe border between Chile and Bolivia was set by the 1904 treaty, so that Bolivia has no sovereign access to the sea by the same treaty and the International Court of Justice has no jurisdiction over the complaint by Bolivia since the matter was resolved by the treaty of 1904, before the Pact of Bogotá, an agreement wich Internatiional Court of Justice began to have power by the following claims.

Application to the International Court of Justice