Relationship dossier
Argentina
Chile
Relationship assessment
A durable partnership grounded in peaceful boundary settlement, with periodic disputes over borders and energy
Argentina toward Chile
+35Argentina joined Chile in the 1984 Treaty of Peace and Friendship, which settled the Beagle Channel dispute, and later concluded boundary and integration arrangements with Chile. Argentina has also objected to Chilean maritime claims, including Chile’s 2021 continental-shelf position, and curtailed gas exports to Chile during the 2004 energy crisis.
Chile toward Argentina
+30Chile joined Argentina in the 1984 Treaty of Peace and Friendship and subsequent boundary and integration arrangements. Chile has maintained a maritime position that Argentina disputes, including its 2021 continental-shelf claim, creating friction alongside a broader framework of peaceful cooperation.
Overall relationship
+35The enduring relationship combines a significant shift from territorial confrontation to peaceful settlement and institutionalized cooperation with occasional disputes over boundary interpretation and energy supply. The 1984 treaty and subsequent boundary arrangements underpin the cooperative structure, while maritime claims and the 2004 gas supply crisis illustrate recurring sources of tension.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Argentina and Chile have built a durable framework for peaceful relations and practical cooperation, notably through the 1984 Treaty of Peace and Friendship and later boundary and integration arrangements. Bilateral ties have also faced recurring disputes, including disagreements over maritime boundaries and Argentina’s gas supply to Chile. The relationship is substantially cooperative, with unresolved issues periodically creating friction.
Areas of tension
- Disagreement over maritime boundaries and continental-shelf claims.
- Argentina’s curtailed natural-gas exports to Chile during the 2004 energy crisis.
Key developments
Argentina and Chile signed the Treaty of Peace and Friendship, resolving the Beagle Channel dispute.
The countries concluded an agreement addressing their boundary in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.
Chile’s continental-shelf claim prompted an objection from Argentina.
Argentina curtailed gas exports to Chile during an energy crisis.
Major uncertainties
- The implementation and practical scope of bilateral integration and defense arrangements are unclear.
- The status and handling of the countries’ recent maritime-boundary disagreement may evolve.