Chilean president makes historic trip to south pole amid Antarctica sovereignty claim
Chilean president makes historic trip to south pole amid Antarctica sovereignty claim
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Gabriel Boric is first Latin American leader to reach planet’s southernmost point, according to his office. Chile’s president Gabriel Boric has made a historic trip to the south pole to reaffirm his country’s “claim to sovereignty” over its part of Antarctica, his office said.
Boric is the first Latin American leader to reach the Earth’s southernmost point, according to his office. “This is a milestone for us,” Boric said, in footage broadcast by Chilean television. “It is the first time a Chilean president has come to the south pole and talked about Chile’s Antarctic mission.”.
Boric, accompanied by his defence and environment ministers, as well as three military commanders, arrived at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, a US research base, at 8pm GMT, his office said. The Chilean leader planned to spend about two hours at the US outpost, in one of the planet’s most remote and hostile zones.
The trip “is a confirmation of our claim to sovereignty” over part of Antarctica, he said. During the 20th century, countries such as Chile, France, the United States, Britain, Argentina and Japan set up research stations in Antarctica, for scientific research and to establish a presence in the forbidding region.
Since 1961, activities in the region have been governed by the Antarctic Treaty, which seeks to shield the continent and its surrounding seas from geopolitical rivalries. The US state department says seven countries including Chile maintain territorial claims in Antarctica, but “the United States and most other countries do not recognise those claims.”.
