Chile appoints Gonzalo Uriarte Herrera as ambassador to Argentina by decree 71

The President of the Republic, José Antonio Kast Rist, appointed Gonzalo Cristian Uriarte Herrera as a 1st category foreign ambassador of the Foreign Service Staff and assigned him to serve as the ambassador of Chile to the Argentine Republic. The decision is contained in Decree No. 71, of Santiago, April 2, 2026, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile No. 44,573, on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, in Section I of General Norms (official reference CVE 2882959). The assignment is effective as of April 1, 2026.

The appointment was issued by virtue of the special attribution of Article 32 No. 8 of the Political Constitution of the Republic, which empowers the President to appoint ambassadors. The decree also invokes Law No. 21,080, which modernized the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, DFL No. 33 of 1979 of the same ministry, and Law No. 21,796 on the Public Sector Budget for 2026. The publication bears the signature of President José Antonio Kast Rist and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francisco Pérez Mackenna, and was transcribed by Carlos Cornejo Rodríguez, acting administrative general director.

The background that created the vacancy

The decree itself details the two previous measures that left the Chilean representation in Buenos Aires available. Both correspond to resolutions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued months earlier:

• Decree No. 52, of February 20, 2026, assigned José Antonio César Bernardo del Carmen Viera-Gallo Quesney (RUN No. 5,026,772-5), 1st category foreign ambassador, to serve in Chile as an attached officer, from the Embassy of Chile to the Argentine Republic, effective March 9, 2026.
• Decree No. 59, of March 4, 2026, accepted the voluntary resignation of Paula Verónica Narváez Ojeda (RUN No. 8,501,706-3) from the position of 1st category foreign ambassador, effective January 17, 2026.

With those administrative movements resolved, the Executive proceeded to appoint Uriarte Herrera (RUN No. 9,703,936-4) and set his assignment at the Chilean embassy in Argentina.

Bond, relocation, and financing

The decree establishes a set of obligations and rights for the new head of mission and his family group:

• Uriarte Herrera must provide the legal bond provided for in Article 68 of Decree No. 2,421 of 1964, and shall have an advanced electronic signature as a holder in the SIGFIM and in the ministry’s computer systems, in accordance with Resolution No. 30 of 2015 of the Comptroller General of the Republic.
• He shall be entitled to travel tickets for himself, for his spouse María Sofía Valenzuela Lira (RUN No. 7,617,742-2), and for his daughter Mariana de la Luz Uriarte Valenzuela (RUN No. 21,004,934-7).
• He will receive the allowance for the transfer of household goods and personal effects, the establishment allowance, and his emoluments in dollars starting 15 days before departing for his destination, according to DFL No. 33 and the regulations of Decree No. 2,154 of 1997.
• Expenses will be charged to sub-items 21.01.001, 21.04.001, and 22.08.007 of the current budget in foreign currency converted to dollars of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the current budget year.

The text specifies that, for urgent reasons of good service, the decree takes effect without waiting for its full processing, a standard formula in diplomatic transfers that require the urgent assumption of duties.

Why it matters

The appointment of Uriarte Herrera places a career ambassador at the head of the Chilean representation in Argentina, the country’s most strategic bilateral relationship due to its commercial, migratory, and border weight. The publication in the Official Gazette closes the administrative process of a vacancy open since early 2026 and confirms that the embassy in Buenos Aires now has a head appointed by President José Antonio Kast Rist.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,573, Wednesday, October 14, 2026, Section I (General Norms), pp. 1-2 (official reference: CVE 2882959).