The Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Peru Jose Beraun Aranibar arrived here yesterday on an official visit, the first high-ranking visit after Peru’s Embassy began operations here.
According to the first Peruvian Ambassador to Riyadh, Eduardo Martinetti, the deputy minister will be meeting with Prince Saud Al-Faisal, foreign minister, and hand over an official invitation from his country’s president to attend the ASPA Summit III (South American-Arab countries), to be held in Lima, Peru, on Oct. 1-2 this year. An Arab-South American Business Forum will be held on the occasion, marking the first attempt to promote a direct Arab trade mission to Peru.
Ambassador Martinetti, who took charge of his post on Saturday, said in a statement that similar invitations would also be delivered to the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the secretary-general of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the Kingdom.
During his visit Beraun will be meeting with senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss bilateral relations.
Martinetti said these talks reflect the desire to promote Saudi-Peruvian relations, and to broaden the horizons of cooperation between the two countries. On Dec. 10, 2010, in New York City, the Republic of Peru and Saudi Arabia signed a protocol during which they decided to open embassies in their respective capitals.
In terms of increasing trade flows between Peru and the Kingdom, the ambassador said there is a huge potential for growth. In areas such as food items, there is a great scope for expansion, since Arab countries are mainly net importers of food.
He said the protocol was adopted to strengthen cooperation in political and economic fields, as well as in technological and commercial ones. This decision falls within the provisions of Article 2 of the 1961 Vienna Convention, of which both countries are members.
He underscored the importance and strategic place of Saudi Arabia. “Saudi Arabia has became an important contributor to developing countries,” he said, adding that since 1973 Saudi Arabia has been the largest donor in terms of GDP vis-à-vis its contribution to Official Development Assistance.
He continued: “Peru recognizes the important role of the Saudi monarchy in the Gulf and its political and economic leadership in the Arab world. South-South cooperation has been receiving increased attention, because developing countries are gaining weight in the global economy.”
In this context, the vice minister said the government of Peru wished to initiate a process of rapprochement in the field of development cooperation, to strengthen matters of mutual interest and facilitate the strengthening of national capacities and institutions for the care of the economically less favored.
On Arab relations Ambassador Martinetti said that the Arab countries called for Peru’s attention because of their economic and commercial potential, both as sources of direct investment and markets for exports and as counterparts in South-South cooperation.
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