Chilean President José Antonio Kast will travel to La Paz on October 16 and 17, 2026, to meet Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, both governments' foreign ministries confirmed. The two sides plan to work through an 11-point agenda and sign a set of economic and security agreements, in what Bolivian and Chilean officials describe as the first visit by a sitting Chilean president to Bolivia in more than seven decades.
Chilean President José Antonio Kast will visit La Paz on October 16 and 17, 2026, to hold bilateral talks with Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, according to a joint statement from the foreign ministries of both countries cited by Prensa Latina. The ministries involved are led by Bolivia's Héctor Huanca Gutiérrez and Chile's Francisco Pérez Mackenna.
Bolivian state news agency ABI reported that Kast and Paz will address an 11-point agenda and sign a package of agreements during the visit, which is set to take place at the Casa Grande del Pueblo, the Bolivian presidential offices in La Paz.
Why the Visit Is Historic
Bolivia and Chile currently maintain only consular-level diplomatic ties, a legacy of the War of the Pacific, after which Bolivia lost its access to the Pacific coast, according to Prensa Latina. Chile's consul general in Bolivia, Roberto Ruíz, told La Tercera that Kast's trip will be the first visit by a sitting Chilean president to Bolivia since Carlos Ibáñez del Campo traveled there in 1955 — about 71 years ago.
A visit of high political value and considerable practical content.
— Roberto Ruíz, Chile's consul general in Bolivia, to La Tercera
What the 11-Point Agenda Covers
Neither government has published the full 11-point list, but officials and consular sources described several of the areas under discussion to Bolivian and Chilean outlets.
Modernizing Economic Complementation Agreement 22 (ACE 22), the trade framework between the two countries in force since the 1990s, to add e-commerce rules, new rules of origin and fewer trade barriers
A mining cooperation agreement
Bolivia's connection to the Humboldt submarine fiber-optic cable, which would link Bolivia directly to Asia and Oceania
Transit-efficiency and port-modernization measures, including logistics development through Chile's port of Mejillones
Closer police cooperation against drug trafficking and organized crime
Bolivia's Minister of the Presidency, Fernando Aramayo, said the agenda targets what he called urgent matters for Bolivians, including economic and commercial integration, bi-oceanic connectivity and timber-related issues, according to ABI.
The Maritime Dispute Stays Separate
Bolivia has long demanded negotiated access to the Pacific Ocean. Aramayo said Bolivia's government is not abandoning its historical maritime claim but needs to address economic matters central to what he described as the country's reintegration into regional trade, according to ABI.
Questions
When is Chile's president visiting Bolivia?
José Antonio Kast is scheduled to be in La Paz on October 16 and 17, 2026, according to a joint foreign-ministry statement reported by Prensa Latina and confirmed by Bolivian news agency ABI.
Why is this visit considered historic?
It would be the first time a sitting Chilean president travels to Bolivia since Carlos Ibáñez del Campo in 1955, according to Chile's consul general in Bolivia, Roberto Ruíz, cited by La Tercera — a gap of about 71 years, during which the two countries have kept only consular-level ties.
Does this visit resolve Bolivia's sea-access claim against Chile?
No. Bolivian officials, including Minister of the Presidency Fernando Aramayo, said the country is not giving up its historical maritime claim; the visit focuses on separate economic, trade and security agreements, per ABI.
What agreements are expected to be signed?
Reported areas include modernizing the ACE 22 trade agreement, a mining cooperation deal, Bolivia's link to the Humboldt submarine fiber-optic cable, and transit and port-efficiency measures, according to La Tercera; Prensa Latina also reported plans for closer police cooperation against drug trafficking and organized crime.
How the world is telling it
SpanishSpanish-language outlets — Cuba's Prensa Latina, Bolivia's state agency ABI and Chile's La Tercera — frame the visit primarily as a historic diplomatic opening after decades of frozen relations, stressing concrete economic and security deliverables while officials on both sides are careful to note that Bolivia's long-standing demand for Pacific Ocean access is being kept as a separate, unresolved issue.
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