Lima, 03/11/2021
High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell visited Peru on Monday and Tuesday, at the start of the first ever trip to Latin America in his current capacity.
During his stay in Lima, he held talks with the Peruvian foreign minister Óscar Maúrtua and was received by the President of the Republic Pedro Castillo and the President of the Congress Maria del Carmen Alva. He also held a meeting with the Minister for Economy and Finance Pedro Francke and met representatives of the civil society.
The visit aimed at strengthening the bilateral relations and political dialogue and show the EU’s support to Peru in its development priorities, economic recovery and sustainable growth.
“Peru has always been and remains a key partner for the European Union and a strategic partner in Latin America. I reiterated our determination to work together with Peru in dealing with common challenges such as fight against poverty, social injustice, but also climate change, green transition, drugs smuggling and post-corona recovery. This visit allowed us to consolidate and further reinforce our partnership,” stated Josep Borrell after concluding talks with Peruvian partners.
With Minister Maúrtua he signed a cooperation agreement related to universal health insurance worth €14 million, announced the imminent launch of joint project to combat gender violence, and the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding on political dialogue and sectoral cooperation. They also agreed in principle the text of an aagreement for the participation of Peruvian armed forces in EU missions and operations around the world. They also announced the upcoming finalisation of the EU’s cooperation commitment with Peru for the next 6 years (2021-2027).
High Representative Josep Borrell also visited the Chorrillos neighbourhood in Lima, where the EU funds projects focused on gender equality. After Peru, he continues his Latin American trip with a visit to Brazil.
Read the press remarks and watch the press conference in Lima here, read the joint statement here and see further audio-visual material of the visit here (for Monday) and here (for Tuesday).