The Mesa del Senado, the governing board of Chile's Senado (upper house of Congress), expressed on Wednesday, October 7, its total rejection of statements by the United States ambassador to Chile, Brandon Judd. The diplomat had offered cooperation to "protect the rights over the Strait of Magellan" in exchange for Chile working on issues that are priorities for Washington.
As reported by Emol, the president of the Senado, Paulina Núñez, and the vice president, Iván Moreira, signed a statement reaffirming that "the sovereignty of our country is not up for discussion" and does not depend on the backing of any foreign nation.
Judd spoke during Global Trade Day, an event organized by Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV), the Chilean shipping company. According to CNN Chile, he said there that his country will always stand firm on Chilean sovereignty, because the relationship goes beyond trade.
However, he added a warning. "If you want a country that will help protect your rights over the Strait of Magellan, (…) you will have to work with us on the issues that are important to us," the ambassador said.
The Senado's response took direct aim at that condition. "Chile does not require conditions or outside authorizations to defend what belongs to it," the text says, invoking history, the legal order and international law.
The Mesa did not close the door on Washington. It noted that Chile maintains cooperation with the United States and other countries, but demanded that it be based on mutual respect, reciprocity and the independence of each State. "Collaboration cannot be confused with dependence, nor support with sovereignty," the document concludes.
The controversy also prompted a reply from the Cancillería, Chile's Foreign Ministry. Judd responded that his words had been taken out of context. "This drama is being distorted," he said, and stated that at no point did he place conditions on Chile's sovereignty.
The ambassador thanked "Minister Barros" and those who recognized that context, as well as his "long track record of support for Chile's sovereignty." The sources do not specify Barros's position.
The diplomat described his remarks before CSAV as firm support for the bilateral relationship. He said he sought to highlight what both countries do together to make the hemisphere safer, stronger and more prosperous.
The Strait of Magellan is a strategic maritime passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, at the country's southern tip. For that reason, any foreign mention of Chilean rights over that waterway draws reactions across the political system.
So far, the statement by Núñez and Moreira is the toughest institutional pronouncement from Congress. The sources do not report whether the government will take further diplomatic steps toward Washington.
