Lima, Peru — Peru’s defense and foreign ministers resigned on Wednesday, following the announcement by the country’s interim president of their resignation Postponing a decision on a $3.5 billion deal For US F-16 fighter jets for his successor who will emerge from Presidential runoff in June.
Last week, the interim president Jose Maria Balcazar He said he lacked the legitimacy as interim leader to commit to purchasing 24 fighter jets made by a US-based company Lockheed Martin And that his successor must make the decision.
“For us, allocating such a large amount of money to the next government would be bad practice for the transitional government,” Balcazar said at the time.
US Ambassador Bernie Navarro responded to the announcement, saying that if Peru “negotiated in bad faith” or undermined US interests, he would take measures available to him. He did not go into details.
Defense Minister Carlos Diaz and Foreign Minister Hugo de Zella resigned on Wednesday.
Diaz’s resignation letter, obtained by The Associated Press, said postponing the purchase “may harm” Peru’s interests. The two ministers said in a press conference that they had tried in vain to persuade Balcazar to pursue the deal.
Even without Balcazar’s approval, officials from the Defense Department signed a contract Monday to purchase the plane, as stipulated in the deal, Diaz said.
Speaking to a local radio station, De Zela accused Balcázar of misleading the public about the contract. Diaz noted that the specific details of the deal were not revealed due to its confidential nature.
In 2024, the government of then-President Dina Bolwarti It announced that Peru will allocate $3.5 billion to purchase 24 fighter aircraft through domestic borrowing of $2 billion in 2025 and $1.5 billion in 2026. Among the companies that have submitted bids, in addition to Lockheed Martin, are Sweden’s Saab and France’s Dassault Aviation.
Last February, the Peruvian Congress elected Alcazar as the country’s representative The eighth president in a decadeTo replace another interim leader was Kicked out the day before Due to corruption allegations after only four months in office.
Peru holds a presidential runoff on June 7, although vote counting is continuing, and officials are examining census lists coming from remote regions and Peruvian consulates abroad after the first round on April 12.
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