Colombia “sympathizes” with Evo Morales, but will not allow a diplomatic crisis over the controversial refusal of several European countries to allow the Bolivian president access to airspace.
UNASUR, the South American countries’ union, convened an emergency meeting over what several South American leader had called an affront to the continent and a lack of respect for the Bolivian president.
According to Bolivia, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal refused Morales’ airplane to fly over their national territory among suspicions Edward Snowden, the former US intelligence official who blew the whistle on extensive US spying operations, was on board.
“We sympathize with Evo Morales because what they did is unheard of,” Santos said on Twitter. However, “we will not allow this becoming a diplomatic crisis between LA [Latin America] and the EU,” the president added.
Nos solidarizamos con Evo Morales porque es inaudito lo que le hicieron pero no permitamos que se convierta en crisis diplomática AL con UE.
— Juan Manuel Santos (@JuanManSantos) July 4, 2013
According to newspaper El Espectador, neither Santos not his foreign minister, Maria Angela Holguin, will assist in Thursday’s emergency summit of UNASUR because of their respective visits to Switzerland and Russia.
Instead, the Colombian government will either send a top official of the Foreign Ministry or a different minister.
The European refusal to allow Morales access to the countries’ airspace caused furious responses in South America, particularly of leftist allies of the Bolivian President.