SEMINAR | Integration of Argentina and Chile

Chile and Argentina in the Face of a New Strategic Environment: Integration, Security, and Development

AthenaLab and the Argentine Council for International Relations (CARI), with the support of the Rioplatense Foundation for Studies (FREE), held a bilateral seminar in Buenos Aires aimed at strengthening strategic dialogue between Chile and Argentina on issues of integration, security, defense, connectivity, economic development, and regional positioning in light of the new international environment.

The meeting brought together representatives and experts from both countries to address the challenges and opportunities of the bilateral relationship, focusing on three main dimensions: geopolitics, economic integration, and security and defense.

The day began with opening remarks by Francisco de Santibañes, president of CARI, and continued with the session “Chile–Argentina: A Strategic Relationship in the 21st Century,” led by Richard Kouyoumdjian, executive vice president of AthenaLab, and Elsa Llenderrozas, director of the Latin American Affairs Committee of CARI.

Panel I, “Chile and Argentina in the Face of Global Geopolitics,” featured Juan Battaleme, Sofía del Carril, and John Griffiths, executive director of AthenaLab, and was moderated by James Gatica Matheson, a member of CARI’s Young Group. The discussion addressed regional insertion in the context of global strategic competition, the positions of Argentina and Chile in international geopolitics, and the role of the South Atlantic and South Pacific as axes of integration into the world.

Panel II, “Regional Security, Emerging Threats, and Defense,” included Pilar Gianini, Undersecretary of Public Security of Chile; Fabián Calle, director of the Institute of International Security and Strategic Affairs of CARI; and Rosendo Fraga, a member of CARI, moderated by Ignacio Mardones, director of International Affairs at AthenaLab. The panel discussed issues such as transnational organized crime, border security, intelligence cooperation, cybersecurity, hybrid threats, and the protection of logistical routes and strategic corridors.

Panel III, “Strategic Economy and Bilateral Integration as Axes of Argentine-Chilean Prosperity,” brought together Agustín Etchebarne, general director of the Foundation for Freedom and Progress, and Richard Kouyoumdjian, executive vice president of AthenaLab, moderated by Juan Battaleme. Topics discussed included bioceanic corridors and physical connectivity, critical minerals and energy transition, food and energy, logistical integration and regional value chains, and international investment in an unstable world.

AthenaLab was represented by Nicolás Ibáñez, president; Richard Kouyoumdjian, executive vice president; John Griffiths, executive director; Ignacio Mardones, director of International Affairs; and María Fernanda Muñoz, director of Operations and Communications.

The Chilean delegation also included Ambassador Raúl Fernández Daza, affiliated with the Chilean Council for International Relations (CCRI), and Pilar Gianini, Undersecretary of Public Security of Chile, who participated as a speaker in Panel II.

The seminar concluded with remarks from Carola Ramón, vice president of CARI, and Nicolás Ibáñez, president of AthenaLab, in a joint institutional closing.