MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Spain formally apologizes for the air incident involving Bolivian president Morales

Ambassador Vasquez delivered a letter to the Bolivian foreign ministry

Angel Vásquez, Spain's ambassador in La Paz, has delivered a letter to the Bolivian foreign ministry apologising for the aerial incident that forced Evo Morales to make an unscheduled stop in Vienna.

Vásquez made his apology after handing over the note in the ministry, although he also reiterated that his government never denied Morales' plane permission to fly over Spanish airspace as it returned from Russia.

The diplomat emphasised that he presented the missive “as the Bolivian authorities desired, explaining the details of the incident.”

“We offered our apologies. Therefore we now will leave this matter closed,” he added.

Vásquez repeated that the events were “against the will” of the Spanish government and that the skies were always open for the airplane which transported Morales on July 2.

We are very regretful of the inconveniences that the president had to endure, the discomfort in which he found himself and also the annoyance he felt, which he has expressed vividly in recent days” the ambassador added.

Morales' plane was forced to make a stop of almost 14 hours in Vienna because, as accused by the Bolivian government, their counterparts in France, Spain, Italy and Portugal denied them permission to fly over their territories.

This was due to the fact that each country feared that Edward Snowden, the ex-US intelligence agent accused of releasing confidential information about massive spying on communications by the US secret services, could have been aboard Morales' flight.