Before being discharged from that city’s airport with the military honors of a president, Arce took part in the signing of various agreements with his Argentine counterpart, Alberto Fernández.
Bolivia and Argentina signed the Juana Azurduy Treaty of Fraternity, Integration and Cooperation on Tuesday.
They also sealed three other agreements on the exchange of files to investigate serious human rights violations, binational medical assistance and the mutual recognition and exchange of driver’s licenses.
The documents were signed by Arce and Fernández, as well as the foreign ministers of both countries, Rogelio Mayta and Santiago Cafiero, at the Mercosur forum.
The Juana Azurduy Fraternity Treaty signed by the two dignitaries promotes integration and bilateral cooperation.
Mayta and Cafiero meanwhile signed three agreements, including the one that provides for the exchange of files to investigate serious human rights violations.
This last text inspires hope for the tens of thousands of people and their families who suffered in South America in the 1970s and 1980s under the repression known as the Condor Plan, carried out by the military dictatorships with the consent of the Central Intelligence Agency of the states . joined.
During the ceremony, Fernández presented his Bolivian counterpart with an envelope containing “the documentation requested by the National Truth Commission of the Plurinational State of Bolivia.”
The medical assistance agreement provides for reciprocity for this type of care, which is provided in public system facilities in urgent cases and emergencies.
A third understanding facilitates the mutual recognition and exchange of driver’s licenses for citizens of both parties, a measure that in Argentina favors the largest number of Bolivian migrants in the world.
In statements made by Argentina to state broadcaster Bolivia TV, Arce suggested working together to industrialize tourism for the benefit of the populations of both South American nations.
Arce thanked for the progress made in the first half of 2023 during Argentina’s pro-tempore presidency at the helm of Mercosur and for the ideas of the Brazilian head of state, Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva, to achieve Bolivia’s full incorporation into this integration state Block.
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