The Diplomat
The new president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, has chosen as his ambassador to Spain the lawyer Javier Velasco, a militant of his party, Convergencia Social, with whom he has a close friendship, according to Chilean media.
Velasco, 36 years old and with a Master’s degree in Bekeley, will have to receive the approval of the Spanish authorities before being appointed to fill the vacancy left by Roberto Ampuero, who left the post after the change in the leadership of the Chilean state.
Madrid is considered a very important destination for the Frente Amplio that brought Boric to power, who, for years, has maintained close ties with leaders of Unidas Podemos, as could be seen in the warm greetings with the second vice-president, Yolanda Díaz, and the Minister of Equality, Irene Montero, who attended his inauguration on the 11th. Boric is also aware of the important economic relations that Spain maintains with Chile.
On the 18th, the new Chilean Foreign Minister, Antonia Urrejola, had to apologise to the Royal Household and the Spanish ambassador in Santiago de Chile, after Boric had described on Chilean television a few days earlier as ‘unacceptable’ the King’s 15-minute delay in arriving at the inauguration ceremony.
The Foreign Affairs Minister indicated that, as the Royal House had indicated, what Don Felipe did was to follow the indications of Chilean protocol and security. Urrejola indicated that President Boric was “misinformed” about what happened and added that Spain “has considered the incident to be over” and that relations between the two countries “are in perfect condition”.
Velasco began to get involved in politics during his university years and has always been very close to Gabriel Boric and the deputy Gonzalo Winter – another of the mainstays of Convergencia Social -, to whom he has been a legislative and political advisor.
In addition to holding a Master’s degree in Berkeley in Constitutional Law, Transition Processes in Comparative Law and Human Rights, the future ambassador to Madrid is an illustrator and participated in the design of the Frente Amplio logos that brought Boric to the Presidency.
