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Last year, when he was not yet Foreign Affairs Minister, he made statements on the repression unleashed against civilians during the dictatorship of Alberto Fujimori.
On Monday, Foreign Minister Hector Bejar denied having offended the Peruvian Armed Forces and Navy and expressed his willingness to work with all institutions to consolidate a foreign policy agenda for the benefit of his country.
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In 2020, Bejar said that the Army had been the main responsible for the repression that was unleashed against the insurgent organizations and the civil population during the dictatorship of Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000). On that occasion, he would have described the Peruvian Army as a "terrorist."
The Foreign Affairs Ministry, however, explained that Bejar’s statements, which he made when he held no public office, "were manipulated, edited, cut, and taken out of context to discredit him and obtain his censorship.”
According to the official version of the Peruvian State, the Police and the Armed Forces were forced to respond to the terrorist acts that Shining Path and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) had initiated.
The Foreign Minister of Peru, Héctor Béjar, presented his willingness to contribute to a dialogue between the government and the opposition of Venezuela, while being in favor of the creation of conditions that allow lifting unilateral sanctions against the Caribbean country. pic.twitter.com/yKudf2y2v0
— MV English (@MV_Eng) August 10, 2021
Prime Minister Guido Bellido reaffirmed the respect and high regard of the government of President Pedro Castillo for the Armed Forces. "We recognize the efforts they made in the fight against terrorism and for national pacification," he stressed.
However, the broadcast of Bejar’s statements has been labeled as an "affront" by Peru’s Navy and opposition, which already demanded Castillo to remove Bejar from his position. If he does not resign, these far-right politicians would seek to censure him in Parliament.
Previously, rightists lawmakers also requested to question Bejar about his militancy in the National Liberation Army (ELN). In response to the interpellation request, Bejar assured that he would answer all questions and observations established by Congress in the democratic exercise of his functions.
#Peru Setting an example for Peru and for politicians everywhere, President-elect Pedro Castillo has given up his presidential salary and will continue receiving his teacher's salary. pic.twitter.com/BgWWuTJaDy
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) July 27, 2021
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