AMLO, its continued attack on the government of Dina Boluarte and the refusal to hand over the presidency of the Pacific Alliance

Since the arrival of Peruvian President Dina Boluarte in powerDiplomatic relations between the governments of Peru and Mexico have become increasingly strained. This because the Mexican Head of State Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO)through his usual press conferences, spoke out in support of left-leaning former President Pedro Castillo, who was fired by Congress after his attempted coup.

Every week it was common that Lopez Obrador will launch a message against the administration of Dina Boluarte, even accusing the political elites of Peru of having orchestrated a Rebellion against Castillo. However, the diplomatic crisis escalated further when the Mexican government decided to grant asylum to the former president’s wife and their children.

This situation led to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru declare Mexican diplomat Pablo Monroy “persona non grata”, who was also given 72 hours to leave the Mexican embassy on Peruvian soil, where he had been asylum to the family of Pedro Castillo. Then, thanks to a safe-conduct granted by the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign AffairsLilia Paredes and her children were able to leave for the Aztec country.

At the end of last year, the Congress of Peru approved a motion to reject “the constant acts of interference in the internal affairs” of the country by AMLO; However, this did not prevent the Mexican president from continuing to refer to the internal political situation of the Andean country, where due to the social protests and clashes between protesters and law enforcement left 60 dead, according to a report by the Mediator.

Last Friday, López Obrador, during a press conference, announced that he would not deliver to Peru the “pro tempore” presidency of the Pacific Alliance because he considered Dina Boluarte’s government to be “false”. Moreover, he assured that he would take the matter to the river band so that its members, which include countries such as Nicaragua, Venezuela, Bolivia and Argentina, decide on whom to entrust this responsibility.

“If they say we’re handing over the presidency, we do it. But I’m going to do the consultation, I don’t want to legitimize a coup, it’s against freedoms, human rights and it’s undemocratic,” he said. AMLO.

This fact provoked a strong response from the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs the Mexican government by demanding that he hand over “pro tempore” presidency of the Pacific Alliance in Peru. In addition, he asked not to politicize the issue and to respect the obligations contained in a treaty that binds the four countries that make up this regional integration mechanism with almost 12 years of uninterrupted activity.

In this sense, the Ministry of Relations of Peru says that despite the fact that the Mexican government has continued to exercise the presidency “for the moment” in factthe work of the mechanism is today paralyzed, because of the politicization of which it is the object for the first time in its history. “This situation has hampered progress in the negotiations for the entry of new members,” he noted.

It should be noted that the Pacific Alliance, an organization created in 2011 and made up of Chile, Colombia, Peru and Mexico. Initially, Mexico was to cede the presidency to the Pacific Alliance Summit scheduled for November. However, the event was suspended so that the Peruvian Congress would not allow then-President Pedro Castillo to leave the country.

These events trapped the future of the Pacific Alliance which brings together 38% of the total GDP of Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition, it promotes a series of regional integration agreements of a economic there commercial based on the free movement of goods, services, capital and people. In addition, it facilitates the free movement of students in the universities of the countries that make it up.

To give continuity to this block, last Friday the Chancellor Ana Cecilia GervasI had a meeting with the president pro tempore of the Peruvian Chapter of the Business Council of the Pacific Alliance (CEAP), Rosa Buenoand its members the Chamber of Commerce of Lima (CCL), Comex Peru, ADEX, Confiep and the National Society of Industries (SNI).

During this meeting, the professional associations reaffirmed their commitment to give continuity to the work of the Pacific Alliance. Likewise, Gervasi said that this alliance has the support of the Peruvian government with the objectives of CEAP in 2023 to strengthen MSMEs, dual training, digital talents and entrepreneurship of women and young people.

Given these actions, the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairshas, through a press release, explained that, faithful to its founding principles and beyond any divergence, the Pacific Alliance “has been constantly enriched by the constitutional transitions which took place in its four member countries, which made it possible to reaffirm the bonds of friendship, solidarity and cooperation which unite their peoples”.

There Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs underlined that the framework agreement of the Pacific Alliance recalls that the presidency ‘For now’ It is exercised by annual periods and by rotations in alphabetical order. “It has always happened as normal and where there has been flexibility in terms it has been given by mutual agreement of the members and without imposition on any of them.”

He transfer of the presidency to Peru since January 2023, it was part of the agenda of the preparatory meetings of the summit which was not held in Mexico City in November 2022, nor in Lima in December of the same year.

For this effect, the Ministry of Foreign Relations pointed out that Peru has maintained permanent open channels with members of the Pacific Alliance, especially with Mexico. “Peru, likewise, has officially requested the convening of the High-Level Panel of the Pacific Allianceto jointly address the transfer of the presidency of the Alliance, without it having been called by Mexico, among other obstacles that it has raised during the talks that have taken place with this country”, he added .

In this sense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, faced with AMLO’s refusal to comply with the obligation which binds its State to transfer the presidency ‘For now’ in Peru, because he considers that he does not want to condone a coup d’etat.

The diplomatic entity clarified that the then President, Pedro Castillo, attempted to carry out a coup which was broadcast live in his message to the Nation on December 7, 2022, and subsequently he was canceled by the Congress of the Republic and led to the constitutional process at the resumption of President of the Republic, Dina Boluarte.

“With this, the President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador departs from the principles contained in the framework agreement referring to democracy and the rule of law and has politicized the Pacific Alliance, for the sole purpose of weakening it. The transfer of the presidency of the Pacific Alliance in Peru is not a concession, it is an obligation contained in a treaty that binds the four countries that make up the Alliance”, underlined the Peruvian diplomatic entity.