Strategic Alliance South Pacific

El Mostrador, Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Dear Editor:

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 already been highlighted in the media. We are talking about a
vast maritime area, which may well cover around 80 million km², and which has historically been associated with Australia and New Zealand, but which begins on the coasts of Chile, borders Antarctica to the south, with the
aforementioned countries to the west and a set of Pacific islands to the north.

This is a maritime space that until recently has been free from the pressures generated by the tension between China and the United States, but with signs that this may not remain
sustainable, and that is why countries like ours, with the participation of Australia and New Zealand, along with the assistance 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 other 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