Joint statement celebrates entry of Andean country and advocates respect for democracy; Argentine president calls action a “rigged fraud”
O Mercosur (Southern Common Market) celebrated Bolivia’s entry into the bloc and condemned “any attempt to affect democratic institutions” of the country in joint statement released this Monday (8.Jul.2024), after the summit of leaders of the bloc, held in Asunción (Paraguay). The statement comes after the Argentine government accused the coup attempt of “fraud”.
The document is signed by all the leaders of the summit, which in this edition included Foreign Minister Diana Mondino representing Argentina. President Javier Milei (La Libertad Avanza, right-wing) did not attend. Over the weekend, he attended a conservative event in Brazil, alongside the former president. Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
Bolivia made its entry into Mercosur effective after the Andean country’s Congress unanimously approved the application for membership on June 4 – in time for President Luis Arce (Movement to Socialism, left-wing) to present the term at the leaders’ meeting.
“We reiterate that any attempt to undermine democratic institutions or the constitutional order in Bolivia must be condemned. The rule of law and adherence to democratic institutions must always be supported.”, the statement said. Here is the full (PDF – 456 kB).
Military personnel surrounded and stormed the Bolivian government headquarters on June 26. The movement was led by former army chief Juan José Zúñiga, who had been fired days earlier for saying he would arrest former President Evo Morales if he sought reelection. He was arrested.
The Milei government released a statement on June 30, criticizing the allegation of a coup that had occurred days earlier, suggesting, without evidence, that the account was not convincing given the “Bolivian sociopolitical situation”.
“The story was hardly credible and the arguments did not fit into the sociopolitical context of the Latin American country. The ruling political party controls the legislative branch, the judiciary branch, the executive branch and the armed forces.”, says the Argentine statement.
In response, the Arce government repudiated the statements and summoned the Argentine ambassador to the country to provide clarifications.
Next, Milei called the military movement of “fraud mounted” in a post on his X profile (formerly Twitter). On the same day, the government summoned the Bolivian ambassador in Buenos Aires for consultation and published a new note of repudiation regarding the statements.
“They reaffirmed their firm commitment to the objectives and principles of the founding treaties of Mercosur, as well as to the principles of consensus and reciprocity of rights and obligations, with a view to strengthening the regional integration process.”, says the statement from the countries that make up Mercosur.
ECONOMY AND ENERGY
Among the other points addressed in the statement, the members of Mercosur once again defended the integration of the region, citing the creation of working groups in the automotive sector and in the areas of integrated border control. In the energy sector, they once again defended the need for an electricity and gas grid.
“The deepening of gas integration, both through the extension and expansion of the gas pipeline network and also the execution of liquefied natural gas projects and the use of existing infrastructure will allow the use of this resource as a complementary fuel for the energy transition.”
The document also calls for strengthening monetary, financial and price stability in countries, leading up to the meeting of Economy Ministers and Central Bank Presidents on Sunday (7 July) in Asunción.
#Mercosur #condemns #coup #attempt #Bolivia #accusations #Milei