Iran always welcome in Bolivia: President Arce

“They are always welcome in Bolivia. We will continue to reinforce common projects for the benefit of our peoples,” Arce tweeted, saying he received the credentials of the Iranian Ambassador Mortsza Tafreshi.

The Bolivian president highlighted the importance of ties with Iran, urging enhanced cooperation with the Islamic Republic in various fields such as energy, industry, medicine, and science, Press TV reported on Thursday.

Tafreshi voiced Iran’s readiness to expand relations with Bolivia and provide any support to the Latin American country.

In an earlier tweet, Arce said he was restoring bilateral relations with Caracas “to strengthen strategic ties for the good of our peoples.”

Meanwhile, the Bolivian government said in a statement that it wanted to “reestablish diplomatic relations damaged by the previous de-facto government” led by conservative interim president Jeanine Anez.

Arce, of the left-wing Movement for Socialism party, was sworn in as Bolivia’s new president during a ceremony on Sunday, with Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Venezuelan counterpart, Jorge Arreaza, in attendance.

Arce served as economy minister for a dozen years under ex-president Evo Morales, who was forced to resign in November 2019 under pressure from the military and following the opposition's challenging of the victory that he had secured in presidential polls.

Morales said back then that he was the victim of an orchestrated coup. He sought exile in Mexico and then moved to Argentina.

The former president returned to Bolivia on Monday and was welcomed by tens of thousands of jubilant followers in the town of Chimore on Wednesday.

“We knew we were not alone. We knew we would return,” Morales told the crowd, who chanted, “Evo, Evo, Evo.”

Under Morales, Venezuela and Iran were key allies of Bolivia, but the policy changed after Anez took power last November.

She expelled Venezuelan diplomats and Cuban doctors, accusing them of fomenting unrest following Morales’ departure.