Bolivia continues to seek access to the sea to improve trade. It is considering different alternatives, which include negotiations with Argentina and Paraguay.

Representatives from different Bolivian ministries (link in Spanish) visited Argentina and Paraguay to carry out on-site checks of the alternatives these countries’ governments are offering to help improve Bolivia’s physical infrastructure conditions and to facilitate and optimize its foreign trade logistics through the use of alternative ports on the Atlantic Ocean. These would provide a solution to its current landlocked status.

In late April 2017, the delegation traveled to the city of Rosario, Argentina, to visit the free trade zone that has been granted to Bolivia and other options the Argentine government is offering in Villa Constitución, some 59 km from Rosario and near the Port of Rosario.

The delegation also traveled to Asunción, Paraguay, to inspect the bonded warehouse and free storage area in Puerto Villeta and the three alternatives that Paraguay is offering in Capitán Carmelo Peralta, Pilar, and the dry dock at Chaco-I.

The Agreement for the Establishment of a Free Trade Zone for Bolivia in the Port of Rosario was signed on June 4, 1969, and ratified by Bolivia through Supreme Decree 9243 on June 4, 1970 (link in Spanish).