ICJ: Judgment in the case concerning Obligation to Negotiate Access to the Pacific Ocean (Bolivia v. Chile) delivered

The International Court of Justice delivered its Judgment in the case concerning Obligation to Negotiate Access to the Pacific Ocean (Bolivia v. Chile). In its Judgment, the Court finds that Chile did not undertake a legal obligation to negotiate a sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean for Bolivia. The Court noted that “the statement by Bolivia, when signing UNCLOS, that referred to “negotiations on the restoration to Bolivia of its own sovereign outlet to the Pacific Ocean” did not imply the allegation of the existence of any obligation for Chile in that regard” and that “acquiescence cannot be considered a legal basis of an obligation to negotiate Bolivia’s sovereign access to the sea”. The full text of the Judgment is available here.