Bolivia and United States are now arranging to reinstate their respective ambassadors “as soon as possible,” marking a significant thaw in relations after a diplomatic freeze lasting nearly eighteen years.
Foreign Minister Fernando Aramayo confirmed the development to AFP on Thursday.
The two nations have operated without resident ambassadors since 2008. The rupture occurred when the then-leftist president, Evo Morales, expelled the US ambassador from La Paz, accusing him of conspiring against his government.
Washington responded in kind by expelling Bolivia’s envoy.
Minister Aramayo stated he discussed the matter directly with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a meeting in Washington on Wednesday. “We have addressed the issue of reinstating ambassadors,” Aramayo told AFP, adding, “The idea is to finalise this task as soon as possible.”
This move follows the foreign policy direction of Bolivia’s new centre-right President, Rodrigo Paz, who has actively pursued a rapprochement with US since assuming office in November.
The diplomatic distance originated during the successive left-wing administrations of Evo Morales and Luis Arce, whose governments oversaw a period of strained relations with several Western nations, including the US, throughout much of the past two decades.
