RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The pro-government bench of Peru Libre has requested this Wednesday the resignation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Óscar Maúrtua; and of the Vice Minister, Luis Enrique Chávez, considering that he would have allowed “foreign interference” in foreign policy matters regarding the relationship with Venezuela, during his intervention on Tuesday in a session in Congress.
Maúrtua, says the party communiqué, “has shown his docility and lack of firmness in front of the Foreign Relations Commission of the Congress, distorting reality and pretending to impose his political agenda on the president (Pedro Castillo), noting his phobias and exclusions for ideological reasons that are unacceptable”.
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Minister Maúrtua went to Congress on Tuesday to explain a meeting President Castillo held September 18 with his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro, in Mexico City, during the VI summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
Perú Libre reproaches Maúrtua for having been “timid” during his answers and for not having “ratified” the Peruvian State’s sovereignty and President Castillo with statements that implied that the meeting had not been agreed upon.
“It is regrettable that the Foreign Ministry, which honored illustrious diplomats such as Raul Porras Barrenechea, allows the interference of foreign countries in foreign policy matters, this being an evident transgression to the sovereignty of the nation”, says Peru Libre.
In turn, the left-wing party points out that “the ‘Venezuela case’ does not admit half-measures or hesitant statements”, so it “is not enough to repeat ‘Peru has not broken relations with Venezuela’ and at the same time recognize Carlos Scull, the representative of Venezuelan oppositionist Juan Guaidó in the country, as “ambassador.”
Scull “should immediately be stripped of the credentials granted by Juan Guaidó, self-proclaimed ‘president’, who currently has no recognition whatsoever in the international community,” Peru Libre clarified.
“Minister Maúrtua kept silent, and his complicity is eloquent in the face of the audacity of his vice minister, Luis Enrique Chávez, to contradict the president, Pedro Castillo, in his decision to maintain friendly and cooperative relations with Venezuela”, therefore, ends Perú Libre, they demand the resignation of both.
Maúrtua assumed the Peruvian Foreign Ministry just a month ago after the previous Minister Héctor Béjar was forced to leave due to a statement he made in the past in which he accused the Peruvian Navy of having initiated, with the help of the CIA and US Intelligence, terrorist actions in its fight against Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path).