Argentine and Chilean Embassies Honour San Martín in Berlin
The General Who Still Brings Nations Together
September 28th, 2026
The ambassadors of Argentina and Chile joined diplomats and German representatives in Berlin for “San Martín nos une”, a conference and commemorative ceremony dedicated to General José de San Martín. Held on 18 August at the Ibero-American Institute, the event marked the 176th anniversary of his death and brought together representatives from several Spanish-speaking countries around a shared chapter of Latin American history.
The programme was presided over by Argentina’s Ambassador to Germany, Betina Pasquali de Fonseca, accompanied by Chilean Ambassador Jorge Sandrock. Defence attachés from Spanish-speaking countries, representatives of Germany’s Federal Ministry of Defence and members of the Bundeswehr also attended. The conference traced key stages of San Martín’s life, from his years in Spain and the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata to his campaigns in Chile and his period as Protector of Peru.
The presentations reflected the international dimension of San Martín’s historical legacy. Speakers included defence attachés José Brusa of Argentina, Mauricio Ibarra Zöllner of Chile and César Flores Gambetta of Peru, alongside Peruvian Naval Attaché Roberto Quesada Alburqueque. By presenting his trajectory through the histories of several countries, the conference created an educational setting in which diplomatic representatives could approach a common past from different national perspectives.
Following the conference, participants gathered at the monument to San Martín for a commemorative ceremony attended by diplomats, German defence representatives and members of the Argentine Embassy in Berlin. Ambassador Pasquali de Fonseca addressed San Martín’s role as a military figure, statesman and leader associated with the independence of peoples in the Americas. Members of the Bundeswehr Music Corps accompanied the ceremony, during which national anthems were performed before the closing Marcha de San Lorenzo.
The Berlin commemoration demonstrated how historical remembrance can provide a setting for cultural and diplomatic exchange. The participation of Argentine, Chilean, Peruvian and German representatives placed a shared Latin American historical figure within a contemporary international setting. Bringing diplomatic institutions together around historical discussion and commemoration also gave the event an educational and people-to-people dimension, connecting national memory with dialogue between countries in Berlin.
