MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolivia plans to buys vessels to operate from its Ilo port facilities

Bolivian president Evo Morales

Bolivian president Evo Morales is considering the purchase of naval vessels to operate from the port of Ilo on the South Pacific coast helping the country to develop for the first time in 130 years its maritime resources.

The port and a land strip were recently granted as a non-sovereign territory by the Peruvian government to land-locked Bolivia.

Defense minister Ruben Saavedra said the first vessels to be purchased would be to train naval officers and personnel, and for transport, according to the Bolivian government press agency ABI.

“This has been a magnificent gesture from Peru, so important for Bolivia. We have plans to establish a naval school with 250 people between students, instructors and support staff. We are interested in coast guard activities”, said Saavedra.

“But our main purpose is consolidating docking facilities for our naval operations”.

Saavedra said that next week the commanders of the Peruvian and Bolivian navies would be meeting to establish ground rules for the functioning of the naval school and the docking facilities.

Last Tuesday Bolivian president Evo Morales and his Peruvian counterpart Alan Garcia subscribed a complementary protocol to the agreement which opened the way for Peru to make available a non-sovereignty free zone to Bolivia in 1992.

Under the agreement, Peru grants Bolivia port facilities and free transit for Bolivian exports during 99 years.

The Ilo port facilities also includes an industrial and economic free zone to set up Bolivian industries for export and even promote tourism with a water sports and fishing pier.

Bolivia lost its access to the Pacific following a war (1879/1883) in which she teamed with Peru and were defeated by Chile, a situation that has soured bilateral La Paz/Santiago relations since then. Officially Bolivia and Chile since 1962 have suspended diplomatic relations, with the exception of a brief period 1975/1978.