Foreign Minister Gonzalo Gutierrez has laid out the government’s plans to strengthen the presence of Peru in the African continent in order to boost the bilateral trade.
Announcement was made during a ceremony held on the occasion of the Peru-Africa Friendship Day, event that brought together ambassadors of Angola, Algeria, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Morocco, Malawi, Namibia and Nigeria all accredited in Peru.
While chairing the said ceremony at the Ministry’s headquarters, Gutierrez said the bilateral trade with Africa reaches more than US$ 1.6 billion.
He also highlighted the recent opening of new trade-representative offices in Ghana, Morroco and South Africa, the latter shared with the member states of the Pacific Alliance.
In addition, he reaffirmed Peru’s condemnation of terrorist attacks in Nigeria by the Islamist group Boko Haram.
“Peru firmly hopes girls held captive by Boko Haram since April 14 are set free and return home soon. We also hope those guilty of the irrational and atrocious acts against human dignity and physical integrity receive a proper judgment and punishment for the crime committed," he added.
The ceremony saw the participation of Professor José Campos Dávila (Universidad Nacional de Educación Enrique Guzmán y Valle), who reminded ateendees of the deep historical ties between Peru and Africa.
Also attending the event was Ambassador Elsa Dry who, on behalf of the African Diplomatic Corp in Peru, stood out the importance of mechanisms like the Africa-South America Cooperation Forum (ASA), aimed at strengthening the relations between these two regions.
The event included speeches, cultural displays as well as a cocktail featuring food and wine from the various countries.
(END) NDP/CCR/RMB
Published: 10/17/2014