Chilean President Visits Bolivia, First State Visit in 71 Years

Chilean President José Antonio Kast arrived in Bolivia on Friday for the first state visit by a Chilean leader in over seven decades. The visit underscores a rightward realignment in South America that is reshaping long-standing regional relationships.

Kast and Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, both elected conservatives, are seeking to improve ties that have been strained since Bolivia lost its Pacific coastline to Chile in a 19th-century war. The two governments have joined the U.S. "Shield of the Americas" coalition, aimed at combating drug trafficking and building security partnerships across Latin America.

While ambassador-level relations have been absent since 1978, consulates have remained open, and cooperation has continued on issues such as immigration and trade. Full restoration of diplomatic ties was not on the immediate agenda, according to officials.

"It’s too early. There’s a path to work on to change the approach to relations, and it will take time," said Bolivian Minister of the Presidency Fernando Aramayo. "It’s about signing mutually beneficial agreements."

Bolivian authorities welcomed Kast with military honors at Plaza Murillo, the square outside the presidential palace. The leaders were scheduled to discuss trade and security, including efforts to combat organized crime along their shared border, and to sign agreements on mining and energy cooperation. Kast expressed his hope on X to "begin to build the future of our nations together."

The meeting occurs as Paz faces domestic protests over his decision to eliminate fuel subsidies. Bolivia, which once exported natural gas, is now grappling with fuel shortages and declining hydrocarbon production.

Cooperation between the two nations is practical. Landlocked Bolivia relies on Chilean ports for approximately 70% of its foreign trade. Paz has also offered Chile access to the Paraguay-Paraná waterway, a route connecting to the Atlantic Ocean through Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay.

A significant historical issue, Bolivia's demand for a land corridor to the Pacific, was absent from Friday's agenda. This claim was a central foreign policy objective under former President Evo Morales, whose socialist government lost a case at the International Court of Justice in 2018 regarding the matter. Morales, now a critic of Paz, called the omission "an affront to historical memory." Aramayo stated that the government had not abandoned the claim but needed to "create the conditions to work on this matter."