Chile's president makes first state visit to Bolivia in 71 years as region shifts right

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Chilean President José Antonio Kast arrived in neighboring Bolivia on Friday for the first state visit by a Chilean leader in more than seven decades, as a rightward realignment in South America reshapes long-standing rivalries.

Kast and Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, both recently elected conservatives allied with U.S. President Donald Trump, are seeking to thaw relations strained since Bolivia lost its Pacific coastline to Chile in a 19th-century war. The two governments have joined the Trump administration’s “ Shield of the Americas ” coalition against drug trafficking, part of a broader push by Washington to build security partnerships with like-minded leaders across Latin America.

The neighbors have not had ambassador-level relations since 1978, though they maintain consulates and cooperate on issues such as immigration and trade. Restoring full diplomatic ties was not on the agenda, officials said.

“It’s too early. There’s a path to work on to change the approach to relations, and it will take time,” Bolivian Minister of the Presidency Fernando Aramayo said. “It’s about signing mutually beneficial agreements.”

Bolivian authorities rolled out a red carpet in Plaza Murillo, the square outside the presidential palace, where Paz greeted Kast with military honors. The two leaders were scheduled to discuss trade and security, including efforts to combat organized crime along their porous 861-kilometer (535-mile) border, and to sign deals on mining and energy cooperation.

“Today, after 71 years, a president of Chile returns on an official visit to La Paz,” Kast wrote on X. “Let’s begin to build the future of our nations together.”

The talks come as Paz faces protests over his decision to scrap fuel subsidies in a country that once exported natural gas to its neighbors but now struggles with fuel shortages and declining hydrocarbon production.

Both countries have practical reasons to cooperate. Landlocked since the 1879-84 War of the Pacific, Bolivia sends about 70% of its foreign trade through ports in northern Chile. Paz has offered Chile access to the Paraguay-Paraná waterway, which connects Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay to the Atlantic Ocean.

Absent from Friday’s agenda was Bolivia’s demand for a corridor of land connecting it to the Pacific, a cause that defined the foreign policy of longtime former President Evo Morales. Under the socialist firebrand, Bolivia took Chile to the International Court of Justice to force negotiations over the claim, a case it lost in 2018. Morales, now a fierce critic of Paz, described leaving the claim off the agenda as “an affront to historical memory.”

Aramayo said the government had not abandoned the claim but needed to “create the conditions to work on this matter."

Chile's President Jose Antonio Kast arrives for a state visit at the government palace in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, right, greets Chile's President Jose Antonio Kast at the government palace in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, right, receives Chile's President Jose Antonio Kast at the government palace in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, right, and Chile's President Jose Antonio Kast wave outside at the government palace in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

A 16-year-old opened fire at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday, killing three children and a teacher before he was shot by a person at the scene who pursued him into the school, according to the chief of police.

The three children killed were aged 5, 8 and 11. Another child, 7, and a teacher, 54, were injured and taken to the hospital in critical condition, authorities say.

Police said they did not know if the shooter, a Bend resident, knew anyone at the school or whether he had attended.

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President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House he had been briefed on the shooting and praised the actions of a “great hero” who he said “took care of business.”

“It’s a terrible thing, but thank goodness for a man that had a gun and knew how to use it,” Trump said, saying the tragedy otherwise likely would have been much worse.

The 16-year-old suspect, identified only as a Bend resident, was found dead inside the school minutes after the first calls for help, Police Chief Mike Krantz said. Police said he got into the school by shooting through locked doors.

The attacker used a pump-action shotgun that was purchased by his mother, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the shooting. The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.

Under Oregon law, a minor may possess a shotgun if provided by a parent or by someone else with the parent’s consent.

Police said they didn’t know if the shooter knew anyone at the school or if he had attended it.

—- By Haven Daley, Alanna Durkin Richer and Eric Tucker

Brooke Olsen’s daughter is a kindergartener at Silver Rail.

“I think it’s miraculous that someone was there before law enforcement even arrived to stop further tragedy from happening,” Olsen said Friday, weeping at times. “I’m feeling very grateful.”

Officials plan to hold a news conference at 2 p.m. PDT Friday at the Bend Municipal Court about the shooting at Silver Rail Elementary. They say they will provide the latest information and share resources that are available for community members.

That’s according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. See the database.

The attacker used a pump-action shotgun that was purchased by his mother, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the shooting. The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.

A 16-year-old opened fire at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday, killing three children and a teacher. He was then shot by a person at the scene who followed him inside, authorities said.

The suspect was found dead inside the school minutes after the shooting was first reported, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said.

The three children killed were aged 5, 8 and 11. Another child, 7, and a teacher, 54, were injured and taken to the hospital in critical condition, he said.

The first 911 call came just before 1 p.m. from a person in a vehicle outside Silver Rail Elementary who reported being shot at by someone with a long gun, Krantz told reporters. Further 911 calls came from inside the school, and officers arrived on scene within minutes, police spokesperson Sheila Miller said.

The attacker, who police identified as a Bend resident, was shot and went down inside the school shortly after officers arrived, she said.

Police tape is placed outside Silver Rail Elementary school, where a shooting took place, on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026 in Bend, Ore. (AP Photo/Joe Kline)

People leave a family meeting area following a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Bend, Ore. (AP Photo/Joe Kline)

Police tape is placed outside Silver Rail Elementary school, where a shooting took place, on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026 in Bend, Ore. (AP Photo/Joe Kline)