Bolivia demands sovereign access to the sea and begins "a new stage in the relationship with Chile"
In commemoration of the 146th anniversary of the heroic Defense of Calama, Luis Arce claimed Bolivia's legitimate right to sovereign access to the sea.
La Paz, March 24 (RHC)-- The President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Luis Arce, announced this Sunday the beginning of the process of dissolving the Strategic Directorate of Maritime Claims, Silala, and International Water Resources (Diremar) and an evaluation of the proceedings initiated before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to "enter a new stage in the relationship with Chile."
Arce stated: “Regarding the trials initiated at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, I want to inform the entire Bolivian people that my Presidency has made two decisions. The first is to initiate the process of dissolving Diremar, since the objectives for which it was created have already reached their end; and the second is to evaluate the proceedings initiated at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to enter a new stage in the relationship with Chile.”
Diremar, an organization that has already completed its work, according to the president, had the mission of providing support in any diplomatic, jurisdictional, and administrative action “emerging from the Bolivian maritime claim (…) to former foreign ministers, personalities, and intellectuals…” and its vision is to manage effective support for the Bolivian maritime claim, “the Silala claim, and issues related to international water resources.”
During his speech marking the 146th anniversary of the Defense of Calama, Arce emphasized that, although the country failed to regain its sovereign access to the sea, the cause "remains inalienable." "Our right to obtain a sovereign access to the sea will continue to be the most important issue," he stated.
Regarding the trials before the ICJ, in which the Court issued a ruling on an access to the Pacific Ocean defended by Bolivia, the country's president announced that his administration will conduct an evaluation of all the proceedings initiated in the courts. Along these lines, he stated that "Bolivia must know the most important details of these trials in order to understand their outcomes."
"With these decisions, we will enter a new stage in the relationship with Chile, in which I emphasize again, at the risk of being repetitive, that our right to obtain a sovereign access to the sea will continue to be the most important issue," he asserted.
146th Anniversary of the Heroic Defense of Calama
As part of the country's vindication of Bolivia's inalienable right to return to the Pacific coast with sovereignty, the Bolivian president led the events commemorating the 146th anniversary of the heroic Defense of Calama this Sunday.
“Today, March 23rd, the 146th anniversary of that invasion that has marked the memory of our people, we pay a fitting tribute to brave compatriots, such as Eduardo Abaroa, Ladislao Cabrera, Rufino Carrasco, Juancito Pinto, Genoveva Ríos, Lino Morales, Ignacia Zeballos, and others, as well as to the Colorado, Yellow, and Green Regiments of Bolivia, who gave their lives in defense of our beloved homeland,” Arce wrote on his X account.
The president recalled that this year, Bolivians, in open tribute to their heroes and martyrs, will continue not only to demand their legitimate right to sovereign access to the sea but will also take action within the framework of dialogue and respect for the norms of international law and the diplomacy of the peoples of Chile and Bolivia.
National authorities, senior commanders, and military units participated in the central commemoration of Maritime Vindication Day, at the foot of the Eduardo Abaroa monument in the city of La Paz.
[ SOURCE: teleSUR ]
