Chilean President José Antonio Kast arrived in Bolivia on Friday for the first official state visit by a Chilean head of state in over 70 years, marking a notable shift in the historically tense relations between the two neighboring countries. Kast, a conservative leader, and Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, who shares a similar political alignment, are pursuing closer ties amid a broader regional realignment and shared security concerns.

The visit comes as both governments align themselves with the United States' "Shield of the Americas" coalition, a multilateral effort aimed at combating drug trafficking and enhancing security cooperation across Latin America. The initiative reflects Washington’s strategy to strengthen partnerships with similarly conservative leaders in the region, including Kast and Paz.

Despite the historic nature of the visit, full diplomatic normalization between Chile and Bolivia remains distant. The two countries have not maintained ambassador-level diplomatic relations since 1978, though consular operations continue, as do cooperative efforts on immigration and trade issues. Bolivian Minister of the Presidency Fernando Aramayo emphasized that restoring full diplomatic ties is “too early” and that current efforts focus on developing “mutually beneficial agreements” before broader political reconciliation can be achieved.

Paz welcomed Kast with military honors in Plaza Murillo, outside the presidential palace in La Paz. The agenda included discussions on trade, security, and joint efforts to tackle organized crime along their 535-mile shared border. The leaders also aimed to finalize agreements on mining and energy cooperation, sectors critical to both economies.

Bolivia, landlocked since the War of the Pacific (1879-1884) in which Chile gained its Pacific coastline, depends heavily on Chilean ports for its foreign trade—approximately 70% passes through northern Chilean ports. In return, Bolivia has proposed granting Chile access to the Paraguay-Paraná waterway, connecting several South American countries to the Atlantic Ocean, potentially opening new trade routes.

Notably absent from the talks was any discussion of Bolivia’s longstanding demand for sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean, a territorial claim that has been central to Bolivia’s foreign policy for decades. Under former leftist President Evo Morales, Bolivia pursued this issue aggressively, even taking Chile to the International Court of Justice, which ruled against Bolivia in 2018. Morales criticized the exclusion of the maritime claim from the agenda, calling it “an affront to historical memory.”

Aramayo clarified that although the current administration has set aside the issue for the moment, it has not abandoned Bolivia’s claim. He stressed the importance of “creating the conditions” for future dialogue and negotiation on the matter, signaling a more cautious and pragmatic approach under President Paz’s government.

Kast’s visit signals a potential thaw in a historically fraught relationship shaped by nationalist grievances and geopolitical rivalries, reflecting evolving political currents in South America and shifting priorities in bilateral cooperation.