 | |
 Bolivia |  Spain |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Embassy of Bolivia,Madrid | Embassy of Spain,La Paz |
Bolivia–Spain relations are thecurrent and historical relations between Bolivia and Spain. Both nations are members of theAssociation of Spanish Language Academies,Organization of Ibero-American States and theUnited Nations.
Bolivia and Spain share a long history since the arrival of the first Spanish conquistadores led byFrancisco Pizarro in 1532. By 1534, Pizarro managed to overcome theIncan Empire (which was in present-day Bolivia,Peru,Chile andEcuador) and claimed the territory for Spain.[1] In 1542, theViceroyalty of Peru was created and the territory of Bolivia (known at the time asUpper Peru) was governed from its capital inLima[2] but administered locally by theReal Audiencia of Charcas in present-daySucre.[3]
In 1545, Spain founded the city ofPotosí, next toCerro Rico which provided vast quantities ofsilver for theSpanish Empire and was worked by the localIndigenous people.[3] In 1776, Upper Peru was governed by the newly createdViceroyalty of the Río de la Plata with its capital inBuenos Aires.[3] In the early 1780s, local indigenous people from the highlands took part in widespread uprisings, most notably the revolt ofRebellion of Túpac Amaru II. The rebels hoped to restore the Inca Empire, however, the revolts were defeated by Spanish forces.[3]
By 1809, the idea of independence spread through Upper Peru as in several other nations throughoutSpanish America. In May 1810, arevolution occurred in Buenos Aires which controlled the territory of Upper Peru and led to theArgentine War of Independence led by GeneralJosé de San Martín. This led to the creation of a guerrilla warfare in 1811 in Upper Peru known as theWar of the Republiquetas. The guerrilla fighters were eventually defeated by royalist forces.[3]
In 1822, troops belonging toSimón Bolívar, José de San Martín andAntonio José de Sucre entered Peru and defeated the Spanish forces in the country. Soon afterwards, troops led by Antonio José de Sucre entered Upper Peru and fought against royalist forces. By 1825, Upper Peru was free from Spanish authority. Originally, Bolívar wanted Upper Peru to join either Peru or Argentina, however, the people of Upper Peru convinced Bolívar and Sucre to give autonomy to the territory and on 6 August 1825, an Upper Peruvian congress declared the country independent and renamed the territory "Bolivia" in honor of Simón Bolívar and named its capital "Sucre" in honor of Antonio José de Sucre.[3]
In July 1847, Bolivia and Spain signed aTreaty of Peace and Friendship thus establishing diplomatic relations between both nations.[4] In 1866, Bolivia declared war against Spain during theChincha Islands War which also involved Peru,Chile andEcuador.[5]
During theSpanish Civil War, Bolivian diplomatic missions in Spain offered asylum to over 300 Spanish citizens and issued visas andsafe conduct documents to Spanish nationals to flee toFrance or to Bolivia.[6] Bolivia maintained diplomatic relations with Spain throughout GeneralFrancisco Franco's administration. In the early 1950s,Antonio García Barón, a member of theDurruti Column and survivor ofMauthausen-Gusen concentration camp arrived to Bolivia where he moved to the Bolivian jungle and set up an anarchist community.[7]
In May 1987, Spanish KingJuan Carlos I paid his first official visit to Bolivia, his first of three visits to the country.[8] In 2006,Evo Morales became President of Bolivia. Relations between both nations have been minimal during the President Morales administration. In May 2012, President Morales nationalized Spanish companyRed Eléctrica de España, an electrical grid company operating in Bolivia and in December 2012, President Morales also nationalized Spanish electrical companyIberdrola.[4][9] In February 2013, President Morales nationalized the Spanish infrastructure company,Abertis which led to heightened diplomatic tension between Bolivia and Spain.[10]
In July 2013, on his way back to Bolivia from a visit inRussia, President Morales' plane was forced to land inAustria afterWikiLeaks founderJulian Assange leaked false information that whistleblowerEdward Snowden was on board President Morales' airplane to Bolivia.[11] Spain, France andItaly had denied for President Morales to fly in their airspace, which was why the President's airplane was forced to land in Austria. After a thorough search of the plane, it was concluded that Edward Snowden was not on board.[11]
During the2019 Bolivian general election, theOrganization of American States conducted an audit that found "clear manipulation" in the election and significant irregularities overseen by the Electoral Commission. Following protests, President Morales agreed to hold fresh elections on 10 November 2019; however, soon afterwards President Morales and his vice president,Álvaro García Linera, resigned from office after losing support from the police and military. Both men boarded aMexican Air Force and were granted asylum inMexico. Soon afterwards, the Mexican embassy in La Paz opened its ambassador's residence to various former associates of Evo Morales, and this has led to protests from angry Bolivians who oppose the ex-president.[12] In December 2019, two Spanish diplomats paid a courtesy visit to the Mexican Ambassador's residence. The interim Bolivian government viewed the visit as an insult and accused the diplomats of having ulterior "hostile" motives.[12] On 30 December, Bolivia expelled the two Spanish diplomats from the country, along with the Mexican Ambassador. That same day, the Spanish government of Prime MinisterPedro Sánchez reciprocated the move by expelling two Bolivian diplomats from Spain.[12]
Over the years, both nations have signed numerous agreements such as an Agreement on the Recognition of Academic Degrees (1903); Agreement onDual-Citizenship (1961); Cultural Agreement (1966); Technical Cooperation (1971); Extradition Treaty (1990); Agreement on the Avoidance of Double-Taxation (1997); Agreement on Adoptions (2001); Agreement on the Promotion and Protection of Investments (2001) and an Air Transportation Agreement (2010).[4]
In 2011, approximately 250,000 Bolivian citizens resided in Spain.[13] Most Bolivians left their country of origin to Spain to escape poverty and political instability. In 2011, Bolivian nationals in Spain sent over US$1 billion in remittances to Bolivia.[13] In 2014, there were approximately 10,000 Spanish citizens residing in Bolivia.[14]
There are direct flights between Bolivia and Spain through the following airlines:Air Europa andBoliviana de Aviación.
In 2018, trade between Bolivia and Spain totaled US$460 million.[15] Spanish multinational companies such asMapfre andRepsol operate in Bolivia.
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