MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguayan President due in Bolivia this week

Peña will be meeting with Arce as both countries have opposing geopolitical stances

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña is due in La Paz on Thursday for talks with his local counterpart Luis Arce Catacora, Bolivia's Deputy Communications Minister Gabriela Alcón confirmed Tuesday. “The agenda is being closed, evidently the president of Paraguay is arriving in our country, he is doing it on Thursday,” she told reporters.

“There will undoubtedly be agreements and bilateral instruments between Bolivia and Paraguay on cooperation issues,” she also pointed out.

Peña's trip comes on the 89th anniversary of the agreement that put an end to the Chaco War between the two countries and rekindles a similar trip by then-Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez to the town of Villamontes in the department of Tarija in June 2022.

Arce will be welcoming Peña after further deepening Bolivia's ties with Russia following his participation at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) where business leaders from over 130 countries discussed key economic issues. At the former imperial capital, Arce described his Social Community Productive Economic Model in force in the South American country since 2006.

Peña became Paraguay's 52nd president on Aug. 15, 2023. Paraguay is known for siding with the United States and even with Taiwan, in blunt opposition to Beijing's “One China” claim.