LA PAZ (Sputnik) – Bolivia called the United States chargé d’affaires for consultations to complain about actions by the North American country’s embassy that were considered in La Paz as “interference in internal affairs,” the Bolivian Foreign Ministry reported.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Plurinational State of Bolivia reports that this Monday (June 24) the US chargé d’affaires, Debra Hevia, was summoned with the purpose of making her aware of the concern and establishing a claim regarding a series of pronouncements. and actions that were carried out by the US Embassy staff, which are considered interference in internal affairs,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Bolivia’s protest arises after Washington’s diplomatic representation in La Paz issued a statement to refute statements by the Minister of Economy, Marcelo Montenegro, who stated that the North American embassy was involved in a “soft coup” against the Government of President Luis Maple.
“The United States Embassy categorically rejects the false statements made by Economy Minister Marcelo Montenegro and regrets that a government authority accuses a diplomatic mission without any basis,” reads the US statement released on June 14.
The Bolivian Government reiterated that it maintains a foreign policy under the principles of non-interference and respect for sovereignty with the countries of the world.
“Bolivia promotes a foreign policy based on the principles of equality, non-interference and respect for sovereignty, within the framework of the norms of international law that regulate diplomatic relations. Along these lines, it rejects any type of action that promotes interference in our country,” the document explains.
Bolivia and the US only have relations at the level of chargé d’affaires and have not had ambassadors since 2008, when then-president Evo Morales (2006-2019) decided to expel ambassador Philip Goldberg, after accusing him of conspiring against his government.
