Bolivia and Chile reactivate economic integration agreement after 11 years

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – After 11 years, Bolivia and Chile on Tuesday reactivated the Economic Complementation Agreement (ACE 22) administrative commission in force between the two countries, the Bolivian Foreign Ministry reported through a statement on its social networks.

“After 11 years Bolivia and Chile are resuming the ACE 22 Administrative Commission,” the statement reads.

The resumption of the binational integration mechanism was achieved through an online meeting of the Bolivian and Chilean Foreign Ministries, between the Bolivian Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade Benjamín Blanco, and the Chilean Undersecretary of International Economic Relations Rodrigo Yáñez.

The ACE 22, in force since 1993, “has among its goals the expansion and diversification of commercial exchange of goods and services; to promote and foster productive activities located in their territories and to facilitate investments of each signatory country in the other’s territory,” the statement says.

The text further states that the reactivation of the ACE is in line with the binational rapprochement announced in March by President Luis Arce.

Bolivia and Chile have not held diplomatic relations for over 40 years and their estrangement was aggravated after a trial at the International Court of The Hague, regarding La Paz’s demand for sovereign access to the sea, which Chile won.