Russian Foreign Ministry Gets No Requests From Russians Living In Bolivia Regarding Crisis

Russians living in Bolivia and representatives of Russian companies operating there have not initiated any contact with the Russian Foreign Ministry in the context of the political crisis, which is ongoing in the South American country, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin told Sputnik on Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th November, 2019) Russians living in Bolivia and representatives of Russian companies operating there have not initiated any contact with the Russian Foreign Ministry in the context of the political crisis, which is ongoing in the South American country, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin told Sputnik on Thursday.

"I have not received any signals indicating that anyone has addressed [the ministry]," Pankin said, when asked whether Russians have made any requests to the ministry on ensuring their safety or helping them to leave the country.

He specified that a structure of the Russian energy giant Gazprom was among companies represented in Bolivia.

"Security of the embassy and companies' offices is important. We are not currently raising the matter of winding down [operations] or withdrawing [citizens]," Pankin went on to say.

Pankin did not rule out surging "banditry and vandalism" in Bolivia due to "vacuum of power," qualifying the existing situation as a complicated one.

The crisis broke out after former Bolivian President Evo Morales claimed victory in the first round of the presidential election, held on October 20, but his key contender, Carlos Mesa, rejected the result. This triggered mass protests against the re-election of Morales, who used to rule the country since 2006. After Bolivian armed forces sided with protesters, Morales was forced to resign. After stepping down on Sunday, he went to Mexico, which granted him political asylum. As the entire Bolivian top leadership resigned as well, opposition senator Jeanine Anez declared herself interim president on Tuesday. She pledged to call a new presidential election after a new composition of the election commission was appointed.