Bolivia recalled its ambassador in Buenos Aires on Monday after the office of Argentine President Javier Milei said that the government of Luis Arce made a “false accusation of a coup d’état” in relation to the temporary takeover of the main square in La Paz by a group of soldiers last week.
In addition to summoning Ambassador Ramiro Tapia, the Bolivian government called the Argentine ambassador in La Paz, Marcelo Massoni, to express its “strong rejection” of the Casa Rosada statement.
In a statement issued Sunday night, Milei’s office said: “The Office of the President repudiates the false accusation of a coup d’état made by the Bolivian government on Wednesday, June 26 and confirmed as fraudulent.”
On June 26, soldiers and military vehicles took control of the Murillo Square in the Bolivian administrative capital, La Paz, and accessed the Burnt Palacethe former seat of government.
The military actions were led by General Juan Jose Zunigawho the day before had been dismissed as head of the Army after making statements against the former president Evo Morales (2006-2019).
Milei was one of the few Latin American presidents who did not speak publicly on Wednesday about what Arce denounced as a “Coup attempt”.
“Thanks to intelligence reports, the national government remained calm and serene in the face of the reported events. The story spread was hardly credible and the arguments did not fit with the sociopolitical context of the Latin American country,” reads the statement from the Casa Rosada.
“Unfriendly statements”
“Bolivia rejects unfriendly and reckless statements from the Office of the President of the Republic of Argentina”said Bolivia’s Minister of the Presidency and interim Foreign Minister, María Nela Prada, in front of the cameras on Monday.
He added that “any military act that threatens the government formed by the vote of the people with tanks and armed soldiers is clearly a coup d’état.”
Prada recalled the complaint made in 2021 by the Arce government that the Argentine government, then headed by the right-wing Mauricio Macri (2015-2019), allegedly sent ammunition to suppress protests after the assumption of power Jeanine Añez at the end of 2019.
“We regret that internal and external political interests that already actively participated in 2019 in the breakdown of the constitutional order, including through the shipment of ammunitiononce again try to threaten the stability and institutionality of the Bolivian Plurinational State,” he said.
The complaint about the alleged shipment of weapons was filed in the Argentine courts by the government of Alberto Fernández (2019-2023), although So far there has been no conclusion on this matter.
Prada also questioned that Milei’s government spoke of “political prisoners” in reference to Áñez and the former governor of Santa Cruz, Luis Fernando Camacho.
“The misinformed and biased assertions about the possible existence of political prisoners or the possibility that a failed military coup d’état did not exist constitute an excess and unacceptable denialism,” Prada said.
He also called for non-intervention in the affairs of other States, in accordance with international law.
“The brotherhood between our peoples can never be disturbed by petty interests and fascist ideologies,” he said.
Evo Morales’ accusations
Hours before the Bolivian Foreign Ministry’s announcement, Argentina’s presidential spokesman, Manuel Adorni, was asked about the scope of the statement made by President Milei’s Office the night before.
“We understand that there is institutional instability, we understand that we are not part of the internal politics of Bolivia and we also understand that Caution was ultimately the best decision we made”, said.
“We do not believe that the statement will generate any conflict because it is simply a description of the facts.“, he added.
Adorni said that the Argentine government spoke of “political prisoners” because of the “lack of clarity in their trials or irregularities.”
Former Bolivian President Evo Morales, who shares a political party with Arce but is also opposed to him, said on Sunday afternoon on the social network X that the current president of Bolivia “He deceived and lied to the Bolivian people and the world“.
“It is regrettable that such a sensitive topic as the denunciation of a coup is used. Faced with this reality, I must apologize to the international community for the alarm generated and thank them for their solidarity with our country. It is important that a complete and independent investigation demonstrates the truth of this event,” said Morales.
A journalist asked Adorni if the Casa Rosada statement had anything to do with the former Bolivian president’s comments, and the spokesman responded affirmatively.
“That a character of the relevance that Evo Morales has for Bolivia has said what he said clearly reveals a certain modus operandi that needed attention,” he said.
Morales continued his questions on Monday on the same social network.
“Zúñiga, in Plaza Murillo, said that he would enter the palace to ask President Luis Arce to change his cabinet because they did not support him, and that the Armed Forces would defend democracy. What kind of coup d’état is that?” he asked.
“How is it that the government is now declaring that this general had already formed his cabinet, that there were snipers, that he ordered people to be shot, while they were walking around in the main square with the utmost ease, laughing?” he continued.
However, Morales also criticized Milei.
“We strongly condemn the statements of interference and meddling by the President of Argentina, Javier Milei. The affairs of Bolivians will be resolved by Bolivians,” he said.
“We will not allow voices that only aim to destroy the popular movements of the region to have anything to say about our affairs. No matter how many differences we have with the current government, we do not lose sight of the fact that Milei is an enemy of the people. Bolivia is respected!” he wrote.
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