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In Bolivia, the crisis between the government of interim president Jeanine Añez, the Mexican embassy and Spanish diplomats reached its peak on Monday, December 30, with the announcement of the expulsion of the Mexican ambassador to Bolivia and that of the Spanish consul in addition to other diplomats from these two countries. In retaliation, Madrid will expel three Bolivian diplomats.
A total of seven diplomats have been declared persona non grata and are subject to this expulsion procedure from Bolivia. In addition to the Ambassador of Mexico, María Teresa Mercado, the charge d'affaires of the Spanish Embassy in La Paz, as well as the Spanish consul and four other diplomats of the same nationality are invited to leave the country in a 72 hour delay.
Friday, December 27, Spanish diplomats are said to have tried to exfiltrate a relative of former President Evo Morales who was wanted by the new Bolivian authorities and took refuge in the Mexican embassy in La Paz with 11 other relatives of the ousted Bolivian president.
Madrid denies interference and will expel three Bolivian diplomats
" This group of people has seriously damaged the sovereignty and dignity of the people and of the Bolivian government ," according to the self-proclaimed interim president Jeanine Añez.
According to the Bolivian authorities, Spanish diplomats tried to smuggle into the Mexican embassy last Friday accompanied by four members of GEO, a special Spanish intervention group, which Madrid denies, which speaks of a courtesy visit to his Mexican counterparts. Spain, which denies any interference, announced on Saturday that it wished to send investigators on the spot to shed light on this affair.
In reprisal, Madrid announced on the evening of Monday that it had declared three members of the Bolivian diplomatic staff in Spain as " persona non grata ".
" In reciprocity to the hostile gesture of the Bolivian interim government to declare two Spanish diplomats as persona non grata, Spain in turn decided to declare three Bolivian diplomatic and consular staff accredited in our country as persona non grata and to give them 72 hours to leave Spain, "the Spanish government said in a statement.