Bolivian President arrives in Mexico for official visit
The president of Bolivia, Luis Arce, arrived Tuesday night in Mexico, where he will make a two-day official visit, which is intended to be his first trip abroad since taking office in November 2020.
"We welcome the president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Luis Arce Catacora, who is visiting our country on the occasion of the 190th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Mexico and Bolivia," the Mexican Foreign Ministry said in a message on Twitter.
According to the Bolivian government's agenda, Arce departed in the afternoon from the international airport of El Alto, a neighbouring city of La Paz, and arrived at Mexico City International Airport in the evening.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Arce Catacora will meet his Mexican counterpart, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, take part in a celebration of the bicentenary of Mexico's Independence and receive honours in the Mexican Senate.
Among the topics to be discussed during the visit are the COVID-19 pandemic, technical, scientific and consular cooperation, trade and investment, and the strengthening of cultural exchanges between the two countries. The two presidents will seek to discuss the importance of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) for the region.
In addition, they will analyse the role of the Organisation of American States (OAS), which Arce's government holds responsible for Evo Morales' departure from power in 2019 because of its report on irregularities in the failed general elections of that year.
The Mexican government has recently defended Arce's government before the OAS, which it asked not to interfere in Bolivia's decision to arrest former interim president Jeanine Áñez.
"Arce returns to the country in his capacity as head of state, after his stay in Mexico derived from the events of October 2019 in that country," in relation to the political crisis that broke out in the South American country in November 2019, which led Evo Morales and other collaborators of his government to Mexico as political asylum seekers, the Mexican Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
According to the agenda shared by the Bolivian Executive, Arce will be at López Obrador's morning conference on Wednesday and will then take part in the meeting of the two countries' delegations.
In addition, Arce's official agenda includes various activities, including a guard of honour to the Niños Héroes at the Altar to the Homeland in Chapultepec, as well as a visit to the Antiguo Palacio del Ayuntamiento, where he will be declared a Distinguished Guest of Mexico City and will hold a solemn session in the Senate of the Republic.
On Thursday, the Bolivian leader will visit the archaeological site of Edzna and will participate in the commemoration of the Day of Victory of Chakán Putum in the city of Champotón, in the state of Campeche, which commemorates the "historical resistance of the native peoples during the invasion process".
This Tuesday, the Bolivian Foreign Minister, Rogelio Mayta, met in Mexico City with his Mexican counterpart, Marcelo Ebrard, to prepare for the official visit of the Bolivian president, Luis Arce.
The Bolivian leader follows Argentine President Alberto Fernández, who visited Mexico for three days in February to meet López Obrador and take part in the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Plan of Iguala, which proclaimed Mexico's independence.
