The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru qualified this Wednesday the statements made the previous day by the president of Peru, Pedro Castillo, who in an interview showed "in favor" to hold a referendum to give Bolivia an outlet to the sea.
In a statement, the Peruvian Foreign Ministry ruled out any possibility of ceding Peruvian territory to Bolivia so that the neighboring highland country would have direct access to the Pacific Ocean, and pointed out that its support for Bolivia’s maritime demand is limited to providing facilities to mobilize cargo through the southern port of Ilo.
“Efforts to provide better conditions for the transit of Bolivian people and merchandise through Peruvian territory and ports respond to a historical position of Peru that, under no circumstances, can be interpreted as affecting our sovereignty,” the Foreign Ministry stated.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that Peru’s foreign policy with Bolivia “is framed in respect for the Constitution and international law,” and in particular in compliance with the treaties to which Peru is a party.
“The Government of Peru promotes the implementation of these treaties through a set of actions that have allowed a significant increase in the movement of Bolivian cargo through the port of Ilo, which has contributed to boosting its commercial activities,” the ministry reported. .
During an interview with CNN en Español broadcast on Tuesday night, Castillo was in favor of giving "sea for Bolivia” because he considered it "a right" of this country and anticipated his desire to hold a popular consultation with the rest of Peruvians to see if they are in favor.
The Peruvian president, who has been harshly criticized for these statements, acknowledged that he demanded the "sea to Bolivia" during a conference of professors from Latin America that he attended in La Paz in 2018, when he was not even considering being a presidential candidate.
"I am not saying that I am going to give Bolivia a sea. If the Peruvians agree, I owe it to the people. I would never do things that the people do not want", noted about a possible referendum to grant an outlet to the sea to Bolivia through the territory of Peru.
Bolivia lost its access to the Pacific Ocean in the War of the Pacific (1879-1883) when the Antofagasta region passed into the hands of Chile, whom Bolivia sued in 2013 before the International Court in The Hague to negotiate an exit, but the court dismissed the Bolivian request.
Since that armed conflict in which Bolivia and Peru were allies, the winks of Peruvian rulers towards Bolivia’s maritime longing have been constant, such as when Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) ceded a 5-kilometer strip called Bolivia Mar to the neighboring country in 1992 to eminently tourist purposes for 99 years.
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