Jaime Paz: "Alberto Fujimori with his fraternal vision opened the doors of the sea to Bolivia"

The former president Jaime Paz Zamora highlighted the fraternal vision of Alberto Fujimori, the late president of Peru, for enabling the port of Ilo as a maritime outlet for Bolivia to the Pacific Ocean.

Paz Zamora, President between 1989 and 1993, He referred to the subject after Fujimori’s death three days ago and whose remains will be buried this Saturday in Lima.

“Alberto Fujimori has been the president of Peru who had the greatest sensitivity and concern for the interests of Bolivia since Marshal Andrés de Santa Cruz in the 19th century,” he told EL DEBER.

The former president He recalled that together with Fujimori they promoted the port of Ilo, through a bilateral agreement signed on January 24, 1992, for a period of 99 years renewable for commercial activities.

There is also Bolivia Mar, a beach with 5 kilometers of coastline and 800 meters wide.

“Fujimori was interested in Bolivian trade going to the port of Ilo and that was going to generate an economic movement in southern Peru, which at that time was one of the underdeveloped areas of Peru,” said Paz Zamora.

According to the former president, the bilateral agreement was made with great care so that it would not be sabotaged by Chile because the passage of Bolivian trade through that Peruvian port meant a loss of income in the north of Chile, where Bolivia’s imports and exports leave from.

In addition, Paz Zamora highlighted Fujimori’s contribution to the elimination of terrorism due to the presence of armed organizations, such as the Shining Path and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA).

“He helped us because Peruvian terrorism was beginning to use Bolivia as his sanctuary. He collaborated a lot to prevent terrorism from spreading and the country from getting involved in the dispute,” he said.

Paz Zamora showed a huaco (a piece of pre-Hispanic pottery) that Fujimori gave her during a visit to the neighboring country when he accompanied him to the inauguration of a dam near Trujillo.

The vase along with a photo with the late president is preserved by the Former president in one of the rooms of his country house El Picachoin Lajas (Tarija).

“Fujimori, with his fraternal vision, opened the doors of the sea to Bolivia, “He called it maritime quality. It is clear that there has not been another president who has been sensitive to our national interests since Marshal Andrés de Santa Cruz,” Paz Zamora emphasized.