Switzerland and Peru stress new opportunities in bilateral relations
Bern, 22.04.2017 - On Friday, 21 April, President Doris Leuthard met with Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. They agreed to deepen bilateral relations and set out suitable areas in a joint presidential declaration. Furthermore during the presidential visit, SECO’s country strategy for 2017-2020 was launched and an agreement was signed on the ‘Better Gold Initiative’.
Switzerland has been involved in Peru for many years, firstly within the framework of the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation’s (SDC) traditional development aid. Today, the SDC is present in programmes on water resource management and climate change.
Since 2009 Peru has been a SECO priority country for economic development cooperation. During her visit President Leuthard and a number of Peruvian ministers launched the SECO country strategy for 2017-2020. The strategy aims to further strengthen the competiveness of the Peruvian economy. Peru should also be supported in converging with the standards of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Switzerland and Peru adopted agreements on climate change, public financial management and the Iniciativa Oro Responsable (Better Gold Initiative). The latter aims to improve the technical, social and ecological conditions of small mines and cooperatives. This is important because Switzerland imports half of Peruvian gold exports. President Leuthard welcomed Peru’s intention to join the ‘Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights’, supported by Switzerland, which serve as a framework for oil, gas and mining companies.
Those themes were addressed at the meeting between President Leuthard and President Kuczynski, as were economic and trade relations, which have developed positively thanks to the free trade agreement between Peru and EFTA that came into effect in 2011. The talks also covered cooperation at international level, on legal matters and cultural affairs, as well as on environmental and climate protection.
President Kuczynski thanked Switzerland for the humanitarian aid in the areas of water management and hygiene following the severe storms and flooding of recent months. Possible ways of supporting reconstruction efforts were discussed. Both the SDC and SECO have already carried out projects on site. In the city of Piura in the north of the country sewage pumps were repaired to prevent the outbreak of epidemics.
While in Peru President Leuthard also met with other members of the government. She was accompanied on her voyage by a business delegation. It is the first time that a Swiss president has paid a visit to Peru.
On Friday, Ms Leuthard visited the ‘Colegio Pestalozzi’, a Swiss school opened in 1943. The programme was rounded off by a visit to Taller de los Niños, a children’s charity founded by Christiane Ramseyer in 1978.
Relations between Switzerland and Peru – the second stop on the president’s voyage – are close and wide ranging. Since the turn of the century Peru has strengthened its democracy and experienced impressive economic growth. The number of people living in poverty has fallen significantly.
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