Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (right) and his Bolivian counterpart Luis Arce. Photo: EVARISTO SA / AFP
Bolivia's President Luis Arce says he hopes Brazil's new president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will help improve diplomatic relations and explain issues that generated controversy during former President Jair Bolsonaro's mandate.
Speaking on television late Monday (local time), Arce said he expected Lula, who took office for the third time on Sunday, would help explain gas contracts between the countries that Bolivian politicians have called detrimental, as well as Bolsonaro's "behaviour" during a political crisis in Bolivia in 2019.
"There are many things that need an explanation from the Brazilian government," Arce told broadcaster Telesur.
"With this new relationship, we hope that all this information that is being investigated in Bolivia can flow from Brazil," he said.
Arce pointed to the support of far-right politician Bolsonaro for the forced resignation of former leftist president Evo Morales in 2019. Morales' supporters called the event a coup d'etat, and Bolivia is now facing protests following the arrest of an opposition governor in connection with the incident.
As Morales left government, Bolsonaro tweeted "a great day".
Like Lula, Morales had formed part of a wave of leftists who dominated Latin American politics at the start of the century.
Regarding natural gas contracts, Arce's government said in May Bolivia was seeking higher prices for natural gas sold to Brazil's Petrobras, claiming current contracts with the state-run oil company generated steep losses.
Lula took office promising to "mend" diplomatic relations.
- Reuters
* This story was edited inappropriately and has been corrected. RNZ is concerned and takes this matter extremely seriously. We are investigating and have taken appropriate action.
A previous version of this story was attributed to both Reuters and RNZ. The words added by RNZ did not meet our editorial standards. They were:
As Morales left government and prepared to flee to country [sic], which he said was designed to violent bloody conflict [sic], Bolsonaro tweeted "a great day".
And: Like Lula, Morales had formed part of a wave of leftists who were voted in to transform Latin American politics at the start of the century.
The sentences have been reverted to the copy as supplied by Reuters.