Treaty of Amity, Commerce, Navigation, and Limits between the Argentine Confederation and ParaguayWho, after having exchanged their Full Powers, found in
good and due form, have agreed upon the following Articles :
Guarantee of Independence and Integrity of the Ottoman
Empire.
ART. I. The High Contracting Parties Guarantee, jointly and
severally, the Independence and the Integrity of the Ottoman
Empire, recorded in the Treaty concluded at Paris on the 30th of
March, 1856.
Any Infraction of Treaty of 30th March, 1856, to be con-
sidered as a casus belli.
ART. II. Any infraction of the stipulations of the said Treaty will
be considered by the Powers signing the present Treaty as a
casus belli. They will come to an understanding with the Sub-
lime Porte as to the measures which have become necessary, and
will without delay determine among themselves as to the
employment of their Military and Naval Forces.
Ratifications.
ART. III. The present Treaty shall be ratified, and the Ratifica-
tions shall be exchanged in a fortnight, or sooner if possible.
In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have
signed the same, and have affixed thereto the Seal of their Arms.
Done at Paris, the 15th day of the month of April, in the year
1856.
(L.S.) CLARENDON.
(L.S.) COWLEY.
(L.S.) BUOL-SCHAUENSTEIN.
(L.S.) HUBNER.
(L.S.) A. WALEWSKI.
(L.S.) BOURQUENEY.
3.1166 Treaty of Amity, Commerce, Naviga-
tion, and Limits between the Argentine Con-
federation and Paraguay
Alliance Members:Argentine Confederation and Paraguay
Signed On:July 29, 1856, in the city of Asunción (Paraguay). In force
until November 6, 1862.
Alliance Type:Neutrality Pact (Type II)
Source:British Foreign and State Papers,vol. 46, p. 1305.
SUMMARY
This treaty was signed during a tumultuous period in Argentine-
Paraguayan relations. Carlos Antonio Lopez, leader of Paraguay from
1841 to 1862, had declared war on Argentina in 1845 to support the
unsuccessful rebellion of the Argentine province of Corrientes. Com-
plications with Britain and France prevented Argentina from moving
against Paraguay, but Rosas, the Argentine dictator, quickly established
an embargo on Paraguayan goods. After Rosas fell in 1852, Lopez
signed a treaty with Buenos Aires that recognized Paraguay’s inde-
pendence, although the portenos(Buenos Aireans) never ratified it. In
the same year, Lopez signed treaties of friendship, commerce, and nav-
igation (without alliance terms) with France and the United States.
The 1856 treaty presented here was an attempt by both countries to
settle their territorial disputes and to lay the groundwork for lifting
the embargoes and reintroducing freer commerce within the region. It
is interesting to note that Brazil, a potential and sometimes actual rival
of both states, was not alarmed by the signing of this treaty; this is
probably because the treaty was viewed as an attempt to resolve dis-
putes rather than to provoke an alteration of the status quo in the
region. The treaty was not renewed and expired six years after ratifica-
tion as per the terms of the treaty.
The termination of the alliance corresponded roughly with the death
of Lopez and the succession of his son, Francisco Solano Lopez (who
governed from 1862 to 1870). The second Lopez pursued a much
more aggressive foreign policy with Paraguay’s neighbors. He commit-
ted Paraguay to the defense of Uruguay against Brazilian intervention
in September of 1864. Counting on Argentine support in this effort,
Lopez miscalculated greatly and was instead confronted with a triple
alliance (Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, then ruled by a puppet gov-
ernment) against him (see Alliance no. 3.1177). The War of the Triple
Alliance cost Paraguay more than 60,000 casualties by 1867, and
Paraguay ceased to be a functioning member for the international sys-
tem for six years (1870 to 1876).Alliance Text
In the name of the Most Holy Trinity,
THE Government of the Argentine Confederation and the
Government of Paraguay being desirous of bringing into more
close and intimate connection the good relations so necessary
for the development and progress of both nations, upon the just
bases of common interest and of a perfect reciprocity, by a
Treaty of friendship, commerce, and navigation, His Excellency
the President of the Argentine Confederation has appointed as
his Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary the
Argentine citizen, General and Senator Don Thomas Guido;
and His Excellency the President of the Republic of Paraguay
has appointed as his Plenipotentiary the Paraguayan citizen,
Nicolas Vazquez, Minister and Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs.
Who, having examined and exchanged their respective full
powers, and found them in good and due form, have arranged
and agreed upon the following Articles :
ART. I. There shall be perfect peace and sincere friendship
between the Argentine Confederation and the Republic of
Paraguay. The respective Governments mutually promise to
employ all their power to consolidate them lastingly.
II. The Argentine Confederation and the Republic of
Paraguay adopt as the basis of their mutual relations the most
strict and frank reciprocity.
III. If one of the High Contracting Parties should happen to
be at war with a third Power, the other Contracting Party shall
remain perfectly neutral.
IV. In the ease referred to in the preceding Article III, the cit-
izens of the Power which remains neutral may continue their
commerce and navigation within the State at war, excepting to
the ports and towns which are blockaded or besieged by water