President Morales: Bolivia will soon "return to the Pacific"

Bolivian President Evo Morales on April 15 handed over to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) a memorandum of evidence in a lawsuit against Chile over access to the sea lost during a war between the two countries in the 19th century.

This is the first time a head of state has directly filed a lawsuit at the United Nations' highest court of justice based in The Hague, Netherlands.

President Morales held a press conference after submitting his resignation. Photo: ABI

Speaking after submitting a 200-page legal and historical dossier to the ICJ, the leftist leader expressed confidence that Bolivia would soon “return to the Pacific with sovereignty,” stressing that this was an “irrevocable” issue for the Bolivian people.

The dispute between Bolivia and Chile stems from the “War of the Pacific” (1879-1883), in which Bolivia and Peru allied against Chile over a disagreement over mineral exploitation, but were defeated. According to the 1904 Treaty ending the war, Bolivia and Peru both lost territory, with Bolivia losing its entire coastline.

Bolivia's hopes of winning the case increased after the ICJ ruled in late January to award Peru about 50,000 square kilometers of disputed maritime territory with Chile.

President Morales has said that the lack of access to the sea increases Bolivia's foreign trade costs, equivalent to 1.5% of GDP.

In the land taken by Chile is the Chuquicamata copper mine, which brings the country 7 billion USD each year.

In a message to Congress last year, President Morales set a goal of restoring access to the sea by 2025.

In 1978 Bolivia broke off diplomatic relations with Chile due to failure to reach an agreement on lost access to the sea, and last April formally sued Chile at the ICJ.

On the same day, Chilean Foreign Minister Heraldo Muñoz said his country would carefully study Bolivia's arguments, which he said "lack legal basis", in order to "protect the fundamental rights" of Chile.

According to news