The decision was communicated by the Foreign Ministry via Twitter with this quote to Rodríguez: “Guided by my ways and convictions, and after talking with the SPR Pedro Castillo, upon his arrival in Lima, I inform that I have submitted my irrevocable resignation as foreign minister.” Along with this message, his resignation letter was shared, addressed to the head of state.
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There he stressed that during the month and four days he was in Torre Tagle, his objective was to “revitalize” Peru’s foreign policy, “correcting errors and trying to strengthen the course of international life” of the country.
Until the closing of this note, the president still had not pronounced on the resignation of who was the fourth chancellor of his government in only 13 months of management. However, the two met for more than three hours before Rodríguez Mackay made his resignation public, according to records from the Government Palace.
contradictions
That same Friday, at an event for the 70th anniversary of the Declaration of Santiago, Rodriguez Mackay reaffirmed its position in favor of Peru adhering to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Convemar). This intention had been expressed by the foreign minister on August 18 during an event at the Diplomatic Academy of Peru.
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Last Friday, the outgoing minister said that without this convention Peru is in a vulnerable position. This instrument establishes a framework for aspects of sovereignty, jurisdiction, use, as well as rights and obligations of States in relation to the oceans. The controversy lies in the sovereignty of the Peruvian sea.
“The Convention is made for States whose levels of protection are assured. Not the three miles of territorial sea of the past, but up to 12 miles of territorial sea and then 12 more of contiguous zone. And from 12 to 200 [millas] the exclusive economic zone. And in the 200 complete sovereignty of the Peruvian State, not in 188 as has been said even in bad faith. Completely in the 200 miles”, Rodriguez said Friday.
In turn, he questioned the role that previous officials have had on the issue convem. He expressed that “For taking care of their posts and positions, they preferred to leave it there, the thesis cornered. That’s why you don’t have power and that’s why you don’t govern. You have to have character in matters of State and I am consistent with what one thinks. Otherwise we become puppets of our own script “.
Additionally, he stated that it is an issue that could not be consulted via a referendum because it could generate confusion. “That is a risk because if we ask people if they prefer the 200 miles of territorial sea that does not exist, or the 12 miles of territorial sea that are in the convem they are going to say that 200 is more than 12 and it is over”, defended Rodríguez before concluding your participation and thank “for the opportunity”.
Meanwhile, in Cusco, the president was demonstrating against a possible accession. Rather, he pointed out that this is information that he had to correct himself. “We have to keep defending. the last millimeter we have not only in the sea, but also in the territory”, said the head of state.
In addition, he indicated that there “Some information we are correcting. I’m going to sit down and talk with our chancellor. There is nothing to discuss there. What corresponds to Peru, and more than anything with our 200 miles, we must give it security and promote development not only with the wealth of the sea, but also inject it into the new curriculum. So that they know what corresponds in the field”.
This same position had been communicated last Thursday by the head of state on his Twitter account.
The position of Rodriguez Mackay in favor of accession to Unclos had been manifested in a column publisheda year ago, in the newspaper Correo.
Before knowing the resignation, sources of Trade had anticipated that there was incompatibility between Rodriguez and Castillo. That has not only been evident, but ratified with the speech that the foreign minister offered this Friday.
These same sources reported that Rodríguez He had been advised, by his close environment in Torre Tagle, to make his position available due to these evident contradictions.
Other disagreements
the management of Rodríguez added other episodes in which from the Presidency they have reformulated the position of Peru. Just days after assuming Foreign Affairs – on August 5 he was appointed to the position – it was announced the government’s decision to withdraw recognition of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic y “break all relationship with this entity”, after almost a year of having begun diplomatic relations and after talking with the Moroccan foreign minister.
“Because there is no effective bilateral relationship to date, the Government of the Republic of Peru decides to withdraw recognition of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic and break all relations with this entity”was indicated in the statement published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
However, almost a month later, this decision was amended by the president. Through a message on Twitter, the head of state announced that the government reaffirmed “in persisting in the defense” of the sovereign self-determination of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic.
This contradiction was pointed out by the internationalist Óscar Vidarte, who commented to this newspaper what “There cannot be voices within the government itself that publicly show a fracture, that do not allow us to understand where the government is going”.
Previously, Minister Rodríguez spoke out against the Escazu Agreementwhich was later clarified by the head of Justice, Félix Chero, indicating that it was a “personal” position.
“The Escazu Agreement it is archived and there it must be thinking about the national interests. I am not chancellor to meet objectives that are not [ajenos] to the national interest”, the chancellor declared to RPP at the end of August. Meanwhile, on September 1, the Ministry of the Environment, led by Minister Wilbert Rozas, published a statement on its Twitter account in which the rights that could be guaranteed by signing the treaty were exposed. For this reason, he proposed an “open and informed dialogue” about its real scope.