political relations

1. Chile-Bolivia Relations
BY: Camila Angulo and Florencia Alem

2. 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.

3. Arguments of the Bolivian position
It 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 position
The border between Chile and Bolivia was set by the 1904
treaty, so that Bolivia has no sovereign access to the sea
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