Arce asks Boric to put an end to the cloistered status and conditions relations with Chile to the solution of the maritime issue

 The President ratified that the right to the sea is inalienable and imprescriptible. He pointed out that the Bolivian encirclement is one of Chile's most serious international faults.

President Luis Arce asked this Wednesday his Chilean counterpart, Gabriel Boric, to put an end to the Bolivian enclaustration and ratified that diplomatic relations with that country can only be reestablished when the maritime issue is resolved.

In a 15-minute speech from the Abaroa Square in La Paz, the head of state advocated for a dialogue in "good faith" and stressed that the right to the sea is "inalienable and imprescriptible" for the country.

"We hope that, under the leadership of our brother President Gabriel Boric, an end will be put to the enclosure of the Bolivian people, an open wound in our great homeland for more than 143 years," said the highest national authority.

Likewise, he emphasized that "Chile is aware that the Bolivian confinement is one of its most serious international faults and that the immense damage it has committed is in the international conscience".

He also indicated that "the reestablishment of diplomatic relations can only be given in the framework of the solution to the pending maritime issue", considering that the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, in October 2018, "opens a phase of rapprochement based on the integration of twinned peoples, through dialogue, cooperation and complementarity".

According to Arce, Bolivia and Chile can continue their dialogue and exchange in a spirit of good neighborliness to address issues related to Bolivia's landlocked situation, a solution that both have recognized is a matter of mutual interest.

The President also highlighted national initiatives aimed at improving integration, such as the development of the port of Ilo (Peru) and the Ichilo-Mamoré waterway projects. However, he stressed that the Mediterranean condition has not only economic, but also cultural, political and social consequences.

"Bolivia and Chile have greater opportunities if they work together (...) We are sure that sooner or later the injustice will be solved", concluded the President when recalling the 143 years of the Chilean invasion.