The decision was made —he said— after the explanations provided by Colombia, both militarily and diplomatically, were deemed unsatisfactory by the Peruvian government.
"I want to denounce from here the violation of Peruvian airspace. Indeed, while we were carrying out our work and coordinating actions in the district of Santa Rosa de Loreto, we were able to observe an aircraft flying over the island whose origin and destination were unknown to us," Arana indicated.
The high-ranking official specified that the aircraft, its registration, and whether it had authorization were immediately verified. Thus, it was determined that it was a Colombian military aircraft.
In response to this incident —he said— the government immediately ordered that explanations be sought through military and diplomatic channels.
"This is an incident that first caused surprise and then indignation because, as I have just stated, we had no official knowledge of the aircraft's entry. As you can understand, any aircraft entry must be made with the authorization of Peruvian authorities," Arana asserted.
"The president, upon learning of the matter, and during today's Council of Ministers session, ordered the immediate issuance of the corresponding note of protest, which the Foreign Affairs Ministry must deliver," he added.
The Cabinet chief stated that, with this, the incident will be taken to diplomatic channels.
During the press conference, the Prime Minister highlighted Congress' support for the Peruvian government's decision in defense of its sovereignty, as well as the statements issued by the National Assembly of Regional Governments, the Union of Guilds, San Marcos University, the Amazonian Regional Commonwealth, the Lima Bar Association, and various political parties.
"Peru must have a firm and united stance regarding these claims and, of course, consider that Peru's sovereignty over Chineria Island and the district of Santa Rosa de Loreto is not up for discussion," Arana pointed out.
In that regard, he reaffirmed Peru's commitment to maintaining its sovereignty, which does not mean disregarding the relations, history, and bond of friendship that unite Peru with the "brothers and the people of Colombia."
Comperif meeting
Arana also ruled out that the upcoming meeting of the Permanent Joint Border Inspection Commission (Comperif) -made up of Peru and Colombia- is intended to "demarcate, assess, or still less engage in dialogue to establish borders" between the two countries.
"There is no negotiation of any border there—let that be very clear (…) I categorically rule out that the Peruvian government's intention, in continuing the Comperif meetings, is to accept any kind of discussion on the sovereignty of the territory we have in Santa Rosa de Loreto," he asserted.