US ambassador defends journey bans on 3 Chilean officers as a ‘sovereign determination’ | EUROtoday

The U.S. ambassador to Chile on Monday defended the current visa restrictions in opposition to three high-ranking Chilean officers, saying it’s a “sovereign decision” to determine who enters its territory.

Ambassador Brandon Judd was responding to the controversy generated after the Trump administration hit the officials with travel bans for their alleged involvement in activities that the U.S. says have undermined regional security. Among those sanctioned is Chile’s Minister of Transport and Telecommunications Juan Carlos Muñoz.

“It’s our sovereign right to take actions when we feel that the region’s security is being threatened,” Judd stated at a information convention in Santiago.

The sanctions have been introduced Friday by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who accused the three officers of finishing up “activities that compromised critical telecommunications infrastructure and eroded regional security.” The reference alludes to a undertaking — nonetheless within the analysis part — that envisions the development of a submarine fiber optic cable connecting Chile with China.

The Chilean authorities later stated one of many sanctioned officers was Muñoz, however didn’t touch upon the identities of the opposite two.

Judd claimed the U.S. exhausted all diplomatic avenues earlier than resorting to sanctions and stated that regardless of particular warnings relating to the submarine cable, Chilean authorities failed to offer the required transparency.

Washington’s determination has sparked outrage inside Chile’s left-wing authorities. President Gabriel Boric condemned the transfer, accusing the Trump administration of issuing “indeterminate accusations” and “applying unilateral sanctions” that infringe upon Chilean sovereignty.

Boric, who will hand over energy to far-right politician José Antonio Kast in two weeks, has been one of the vocal critics of U.S. President Donald Trump within the area.

Asked in regards to the robust reactions throughout the Chilean authorities, the U.S. ambassador stated there are “no threats” from the United States. “We are not making any threats. What we have strictly told you all the time is that everything we do depends upon communication and security,” he added.

Judd argued, with out naming particular international locations, that “there are many malicious actors in this region that want to cause harm, not just to this region and to Chile, but to the United States as well.”

Relations between Chile and the United States have deteriorated considerably beneath the second Trump administration. Boric has leveled sharp criticism in opposition to his U.S. counterpart, characterizing the Republican’s management model as that of a “new emperor”.

Trump, for his half, has overtly expressed dissatisfaction with Boric and has welcomed the upcoming presidency of far-right politician Kast, following his landslide victory in Chile’s nationwide election in December.

“We look forward to working with the new government to provide what the Chilean people demanded,” Judd stated.

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