The document responds to disrespectful comments by Judd, who stated that if Chile needs help defending the Strait of Magellan, it will have to work with Washington on issues of interest to the North American power.

Leaders of the Chilean Upper House, Paulina Núñez and Iván Moreira, asserted that “the country’s sovereignty is not up for debate, nor does it depend on the backing, support, or recognition of any foreign nation.”

The Senate leadership affirmed that cooperative relations with the United States and other nations must be based on mutual respect, reciprocity, and the independence of each nation.

“When discussing negotiations of any kind with Chile, the first thing that must be on the table is respectful treatment from the negotiating party, and he [the ambassador] has treated us very poorly,” Moreira maintained.

The ambassador is unlikely to respect any diplomatic protest note, as he seems to forget that Chile abolished slavery before the United States and that we are not their colony, but a sovereign republic, according to Moreira.

For his part, Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna stated that his country is capable of defending its sovereignty on its own, as it has done for 200 years.

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