The Strait is the natural passage between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans that lies entirely within Chilean jurisdiction, a fact ratified by the Boundary Treaty of 1881 and the Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1984.

Gustavo Javier Valverde, Chief of the Argentine Air Force General Staff, recently stated that “Magellan, the south, the Drake Passage, all of that is Argentine sovereignty,” and called for a presence in what he termed a “bioceanic key.”

Shortly thereafter, Senator and former Security Minister Patricia Bullrich argued that Argentina needed to increase its naval power to control the Strait of Magellan.

Although Bullrich later retracted and attributed the issue to confusion with the Beagle Channel, the controversy persisted.

Repeated statements calling Chilean sovereignty over the Strait into question prompted the Lower House to agree to send a formal protest to the Argentine Parliament.

Diego Schalper, lawmaker of the Renovacion Nacional (National Renewal) party, proposed the initiative and received backing from committee leaders across the political spectrum.

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