MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th February, 2023) The Peruvian parliament approved a motion to declare Colombian President Gustavo Petro persona non grata in response to his statements comparing the Peru police to Nazis, the parliament's press office said.
"Support was given to Motion 5607, which proposes to express its rejection of the statements made by the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, which constitute an offense to the National Police of Peru, and to declare him persona non grata," the parliament's statement read.
The motion was approved with 72 votes in favor, 29 votes against and seven abstentions, the press office specified.
On February 11, Petro reportedly said that the Peruvian police marched "like Nazis against their own people" during almost three months of the unrest in the country.
The president of the Foreign Relations Committee in the parliament, Maria del Carmen Alva Prieto, who also presented the motion to the lawmakers, accused Petro of "constantly executing acts of political interference" in Peru's domestic affairs and offending the national police by comparing them with the Nazis.
Peru's Foreign Ministry was requested to use the relevant diplomatic channels to send the document to Minister Plenipotentiary of Colombia to Peru, Eufracio Morales.
In December 2022, Peru's parliament impeached former President Pedro Castillo. Then-Prime Minister Dina Boluarte took an oath as the country's new president within two hours of the impeachment vote, vowing to serve out the rest of Castillo's term, which runs until July 2026. Castillo, who had tried to dissolve the parliament before the vote, was arrested after the impeachment procedure and the Peruvian prosecutor's office launched a criminal case against him on charges of an attempted coup and crimes against the state.
The cascade of events sparked a wave of protests across the country. Demonstrators have denounced the post-impeachment government, calling for an immediate presidential election and dissolution of the country's parliament.
