Brazil & Southern Cone - May 2026

Chile’s President José Antonio Kast continued the tradition of his predecessors of choosing Buenos Aires as the destination for his first international visit after taking office in March. He was hosted by President Javier Milei in April, where the two right-wing leaders affirmed their commitment to boosting cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, and mining, as well as migration and security – issues which Kast declared as political priorities during his election campaign last year.

All Chilean presidents in the past few decades have made a state visit to Argentina shortly after their inauguration, which typically takes place in March. This has been the case even if they did not share an ideological affinity with their Argentine counterpart, such as when Chile’s right-wing former president Sebastian Piñera (2010-2014, 2018-2022) was hosted in Buenos Aires in 2010 by Argentina’s left-wing former president Cristina Fernández (2007-2015). Fortunately for Kast, he was greeted by a likeminded leader during his state visit to the Casa Rosada presidential palace. Milei was also no stranger to Kast, as they had met before at various international gatherings of right-wing leaders, such as the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which has held events in Argentina and Brazil in recent years.

After winning the run-off of Chile’s presidential election on 14 December last year, Kast travelled to Buenos Aires two days later to meet with Milei, signalling his alignment with the Argentine leader. According to an Argentine government statement on 16 December, their meeting touched on shared goals such as promoting trade and investment and boosting border security and the fight against transnational organised crime. The latest Kast-Milei meeting in Buenos Aires, which took place on 6 April, focused on similar points. Since it was an official state visit, Kast brought government ministers with him to discuss these priority areas with their Argentine counterparts. The delegation included Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna, Public Security Minister Trinidad Steinert, and Public Works Minister Martín Arrau.

Although the presidents did not sign any deals on 6 April, the state visit was a platform for Kast to display his diplomatic alignment with Milei, making significant gestures such as affirming Chile’s support for Argentina’s claim over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) as well as Chile’s intention to cooperate with Argentina in upholding the Antarctic Treaty, the multilateral agreement that banned military activity in Antarctica and designated the continent as a scientific preserve. Kast also said that he hoped for unity not only with Argentina but across the region. “The union that we can achieve between Argentina and Chile, and later include in this effort countries such as Bolivia, Paraguay, I believe will greatly strengthen the Southern Cone, along with Uruguay as well,” Kast said.

Economic cooperation

After his meeting with Milei, Kast said that it was a “historic moment for integration” on areas such as tourism, trade, investment, and mining – a sector that he highlighted as an area in which “Argentina is gaining significant momentum, and where we can collaborate on knowledge and logistics”, adding that “we are very interested in integration across all types of mineral production that Argentina may have”. Chile and Argentina are major producers of lithium, so even though Kast did not announce clear plans regarding bilateral mining deals or aligning of national regulatory frameworks, this sector could be an opportunity for deeper cooperation with Argentina.

Kast’s mention of logistics was also significant given the efforts to “boost connectivity and international trade” and position both Chile and Argentina as “connectivity platforms in South America and global markets”, as stated in a joint communiqué released by both foreign ministries on 6 April. The statement went on to call for progress on the “development of priority binational routes and corridors”.

During their meeting Milei and Kast discussed the need to digitalise customs and border infrastructure to reduce waiting times for tourists as well as cargo shipments, but cooperation on logistics could also relate to major transport infrastructure initiatives such as the stalled Agua Negra tunnel project. Plans to build a tunnel through the Andes along the high-altitude Agua Negra pass, connecting Argentina’s San Juan province and Chile’s Coquimbo region, had been discussed by various administrations, but the project has faced delays due to problems such as funding. However, in recent months the regional governor of Coquimbo, Cristóbal Juliá, has been calling for a continuation of the project.

Security priorities

Another key priority that Kast highlighted during the state visit was the need to cooperate on public security. In his meeting with Milei, he discussed “mechanisms to deepen the exchange of information and the fight against transnational organised crime”, according to a government press release. The Kast administration’s main security initiative was launched shortly after his inauguration in March. Known as ‘Escudo Fronterizo’, it is focused on shoring up patrols and border infrastructure along Chile’s northern borders with Peru and Bolivia, which echoes similar border security initiatives launched by the Milei government in recent years [SSR-25-03].

The more pressing challenge that Kast and Milei discussed was efforts to capture the Chilean fugitive Galvarino Apablaza, a former leader of the left-wing urban guerrilla group Frente Patriótico Manuel Rodríguez (FPMR) who was allegedly a mastermind behind the assassination in 1991 of Jaime Guzmán, an adviser to Chile’s former dictator General Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990) and founder of the right-wing party Unión Demócrata Independiente (UDI). Apablaza had been granted political asylum in Argentina during the Fernández presidency, but an Argentine court ruled in February this year to revoke his asylum status. However, Argentine police were unable to find Apablaza when they went to his home on 1 April to try to arrest him and extradite him to Chile. Kast and Milei affirmed their intentions for Chilean and Argentine authorities to collaborate on the manhunt. However, at the time of writing, authorities had not yet located or apprehended him.

Bilateral trade

According to Chilean government figures, the bilateral trade balance of goods with Argentina in 2025 totalled US$7.93bn. This was up from US$7.81bn the previous year and from US$3.93bn five years earlier. Chilean exports to Argentina last year totalled US$1.07bn, while imports totalled US$6.31bn. Chile has run a trade deficit with Argentina every year since 2020, although the deficit of US$5.24bn for 2025 has narrowed compared to the trade deficit of US$5.59bn registered for 2024.

FBI

In addition to shoring up ties with Argentina in April, the Chilean government has also boosted cooperation with the US on matters of security. On 20 April Chile’s public security ministry agreed with the US Department of State to update the cooperation agreement on actions against transnational organised crime. According to a Chilean government press release, the new terms will allow for more funding for joint operations between Chile’s investigative police force (PDI) and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with additional funds of around US$1m for the purchase of new equipment.