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Bolivia's demand against Chile for access to the Pacific Ocean is "coming to fruition" at the International Court of Justice, ICJ, in The Hague, where the decision regarding the landlocked country's maritime access will be taken, said Bolivian legal team member Sacha Llorenti.
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“We're certain we will arrive (at a good place) when we finish our job,” Llorenti told Bolivia TV on Sunday. He is one of the two officials representing Bolivia at the ICJ.
Justice Minister Hector Arce said Bolivia will get its long-awaited sea access and is in its historical right.
“The work has been completely satisfying. Bolivia is being helped by reason, justice, right, history and above all, truth," he said.
"The process goes on at a safe pace ... to have sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean through dialogue and negotiation."
Bolivia's legal team will meet between March 7-8 in Madrid, Spain's capital, to work on the details of the oral plea that will be presented in The Hague from March 19-28.
After the hearing, the ICJ will have between six months to one year to make a decision.
Bolivia's Foreign Minister Fernando Huanacuni feels confident about the case.
"History knows Bolivia was born with sovereign access to the sea, to the Pacific Ocean," he said.
"The invasion, the war culture, tore a very important part of the country that must be repaired. The world knows it and supports us."
The Bolivian government filed a lawsuit in the ICJ in 2013 demanding 400 kilometers of coastline and 120,000 square kilometers rich in natural resources that were seized by Chile in 1879 during the Pacific War, which lasted until 1883.
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