RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On March 23, Ecuador’s solidarity movements and social organizations ratified their support to Bolivia’s struggle for access to the Pacific Ocean, which they define as historical justice.
Representatives of the groups, integrated through the Ecuadorian Committee of Solidarity with Bolivia, reiterated their position in a ceremony held at the diplomatic headquarters of the Andean-Amazonian country in this capital.
During the event, they delivered to the ambassador a letter in which they considered the current moment in Latin America and the Caribbean opportune for the long-awaited return of the Bolivian people to the sea.
Today, on the 143rd anniversary of the defense of Calama, we urge that, as appealed and recommended by the Court of The Hague, continue working in a framework of “dialogue between the parties and goodwill” to reach an agreement, the text delivered to the head of the diplomatic mission indicates.
The signatory organizations also believe that the current governments of Chile and Bolivia, based on principles of equity, equality, and solidarity, will be able to find in dialogue the way to look to the future together and with historical justice.
In this sense, the collectives reiterated their support and solidarity with the Bolivian people and its leaders, Luis Arce and David Choquehuanca, to achieve a free exit to the Pacific Ocean in peace and through mechanisms of dialogue and understanding, as requested by that nation.
“We must be able to resolve our discrepancies and repair the injustices we inherited. We are one People, we share the same origins, and we fight for the same cause: freedom, equality, and social justice”, concludes the document.
According to historical data, Bolivia was born as a republic in 1825 with well-defined border limits and an extensive coastline on the Pacific Ocean, lost during a Chilean invasion in 1879.
“Grateful to the Solidarity Committee in Ecuador that accompanied us on this Day of the Sea for Bolivia, when we pay tribute to the heroes who have defended what we have lost, the Bolivian coastline,” said Bolivian Ambassador Segundina Flores in statements to Prensa Latina.
She added that it is a tireless, unwavering, and irrefutable struggle for the access to the sea and also mentioned the support that her country has in this demand from various parts of Latin America.