Chile’s Defence Minister Says Britain Has Held the Falklands for 200 Years
CHILE · ARGENTINA · FALKLANDS
Key Facts
- —The country Chile, a country of about 20 million people, shares one of the world’s longest land borders with Argentina. Its far-southern Magallanes region looks out towards the Falkland Islands.
- —The background Britain has held the Falklands since 1833, and Argentina, which calls them the Malvinas, claims them. Chile has backed Argentina’s claim as state policy for decades, and President José Antonio Kast restated that support this year.
- —Why now Punta Arenas, Magallanes’ capital, hosts a Falklands business delegation on 28 and 29 September to prepare a new sea route. Argentina is sanctioning firms linked to Falklands oil.
- —What happened During a visit to Magallanes this week, Defence Minister Fernando Barros told the regional broadcaster Radio Polar that Chile supports Argentina’s claim, “but there is a de facto situation: a friendly country has exercised sovereignty for 200 years”.
- —Who is who Barros runs defence in Kast’s cabinet; foreign policy belongs to Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna. Argentine outlets reported the remarks on 27 September as Chile “conditioning” its support.
- —What it means for you Nothing changes for travel or trade today. The minister said Magallanes businesses may trade with the islands within the law, which Argentina objects to.
- —Still open Whether Chile’s foreign ministry endorses, softens or corrects the wording, and whether Argentina protests formally.
Chile’s defence minister has said Britain has exercised sovereignty over the Falkland Islands for 200 years. In the same breath, he insisted his country still backs Argentina’s claim to them.
Fernando Barros spoke in the southern region that faces the islands. Argentine media read his words as a crack in one of Argentina’s steadiest diplomatic supports.
What the minister said
Barros spoke to Radio Polar, a broadcaster in Punta Arenas, during a visit to Magallanes on 24 and 25 September. The quotes below come from Ámbito’s transcription of that interview.
“Chile has said that it supports the Argentine claim, its claim of sovereignty over the Malvinas or Falklands,” he said. “But there is a de facto situation: a friendly country has exercised sovereignty for 200 years.”
He added that supporting a claim against “a friendly country” must be done “in accordance with international law”. It must also respect “the will and interest of the people involved”, and use “peaceful means”.
He was also asked about a sea route from Punta Arenas to the islands. Chile and Magallanes have the right to trade within the legal framework, he said, and he saw no problem with it.
Is it a new condition?
Not in so many words. The newspaper Ámbito headlined that Chile “conditions” its support.
Barros did not, however, set a condition or withdraw Chile’s backing.
What stands out is the vocabulary. Argentina calls British rule an occupation that began by force in 1833, so “exercising sovereignty” is language Buenos Aires rejects.
The phrase about the islanders also matters. The 1965 United Nations resolution on the dispute asks both sides to consider the population’s “interests”; Barros spoke of their “will” as well as their interests.
Britain bases its position on the islanders’ right to decide their future. Argentina rejects that argument, so adding that word places Barros closer to London’s reading.
Strictly, the figure is rounded: British control dates from January 1833, which makes it 193 years.
Chile’s official line
Chile’s formal support for Argentina is long-standing. In April, Kast signed a joint statement in Buenos Aires backing Argentina’s rights over the islands and the surrounding waters.
In June, at the summit of Mercosur, the South American trade bloc, he joined a declaration supporting Argentina’s “legitimate rights”, Ámbito notes. He restated that support in Santiago on 3 September.
Foreign policy belongs to Pérez Mackenna, whom the lower house has summoned to answer questions on 28 September.
Why Magallanes cares
The remarks were made in the region that stands to gain from closer ties with the islands. About 25 Falklands business people are due in Punta Arenas for meetings on 28 and 29 September.
A Chilean shipping company aims to open the islands’ second South American sea link, after Montevideo. The first voyage is planned for November.
Punta Arenas mayor Claudio Radonich has backed opening trade with the islands, Radio Polar reported earlier in September.
The Falklands question has already spilled into Chile’s Congress. It sits alongside a quarrel over Argentine descriptions of the Strait of Magellan as shared waters.
History adds weight. During the 1982 war, Chile under Pinochet was officially neutral, but British files show it quietly helped Britain.
Argentines have not forgotten that episode. Any Chilean phrase that sounds like London’s is read against it.
What comes next
No reaction from Argentina’s foreign ministry had been reported by Sunday afternoon. The comments land as Britain hardens its own line on the islands and Argentina widens sanctions on firms working there.
Pérez Mackenna faces formal questioning in the lower house on Monday. It centres on other foreign-policy issues, but deputies can ask whether Barros spoke for the government.
The remarks do not mean Chile has recognised British sovereignty or dropped Argentina’s claim. They do show that at least one of Kast’s ministers voices that support with qualifications Buenos Aires does not accept.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Chile stopped supporting Argentina on the Falklands?
No. Chile’s defence minister said Chile supports Argentina’s claim, and President José Antonio Kast has backed it in formal statements this year. The minister added that Britain has exercised sovereignty in practice for about 200 years.
Who said the UK has ruled the Falklands for 200 years?
Fernando Barros Tocornal, Chile’s defence minister, in an interview with the Punta Arenas broadcaster Radio Polar during a visit to Magallanes in late September. No report attributes the wording to Kast or to the foreign minister.
Why does the wording matter to Argentina?
Argentina regards British rule since 1833 as an occupation and rejects the idea that the islanders can decide sovereignty. Barros spoke of the islanders’ will as well as their interests, wording closer to Britain’s position.
Is there a sea route between Chile and the Falklands?
Not yet a regular one. A Chilean company plans a new cargo route from Punta Arenas, with a first voyage expected in November, and the defence minister said he saw no problem with legal trade.
Sources: Ámbito, transcription of the Radio Polar interview, 27 September 2026, C5N, Chile backs Falklands trade, 27 September 2026, Canal 26, Chilean minister on 200 years, 27 September 2026, Radio Polar, Barros in Magallanes, September 2026, La Prensa Austral, defence plan announced in Punta Arenas, 25 September 2026, Cooperativa, Barros in Punta Arenas on the Strait, 25 September 2026. All retrieved 27 September 2026. United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2065 (XX), 16 December 1965.
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