An Alliance for the South Pacific

Diario Financiero, Friday, May 10, 2019

Dear Director:

I find it extraordinary and noteworthy the attention that President Piñera’s government and his Minister of Defense are giving to the South Pacific, something that has been highlighted in the media.

We are talking about an enormous maritime area, which can measure around 80 million km², historically associated with Australia and New Zealand, but which begins on the coasts of Chile, borders Antarctica to the south, the aforementioned countries to the west, and a set of Pacific islands to the north. This maritime space has, until recently, been free from the pressures generated by the tensions between China and the United States, but there are signs that this may not remain sustainable.

That is why countries like ours, with the participation of Australia and New Zealand, along with the support of the Pacific island community, must form a strategic alliance with the aim of keeping these seas clean, safe for maritime activities, and free from the tensions affecting the rest of the world.

We already have search and rescue obligations for one-third of the South Pacific, and it is not surprising that we are interested in expanding our responsibilities and working with countries with which we share interests, values, and visions for the future. A strategic alliance for the South Pacific is one of the best ideas I have heard in these times.

Richard Kouyoumdjian Inglis

Director, Maritime League of Chile