Dina Boluarte leaves the Government Palace in Lima, Peru. Sebastian Castaneda (Bloomberg)
The Peruvian government had to take over the presidency of the Pacific Alliance pro tempore at the end of November 2022. But Pedro Castillo, still head of state, did not get permission from Congress to travel to Mexico City and assume the presidency. by Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. A few weeks later, the trade unionist and country teacher attempted a self-coup that failed within hours and ended up in prison, where he was charged with rebellion and later with leading a criminal organization. López Obrador refused to recognize former Vice President Dina Boluarte as Castillo’s legitimate successor, and since then the situation has continued to deteriorate until the ambassadors of both countries finally left. After so much diplomatic turbulence, Dina Boluarte chaired the awards ceremony in Lima this Friday. “We managed to master political situations,” he said.
The Pacific Alliance was no longer a mechanism for integration and commercial exchanges between Colombia, Chile, Peru and Mexico, but a source of permanent tension. Eventually, member states agreed that Chile would temporarily assume the presidency, as a direct transfer of the Mexican presidency to the Peruvian authorities was not feasible. Chile held the leadership between June 28 and August 1, the day Peruvian Foreign Minister Ana Cecilia Gervasi assumed power in Santiago, Chile.
“This pro tempore presidency is possible thanks to the dialogue, pragmatism and will of the member countries, since not only have we managed to overcome political situations, but we have also been able to renew our commitment to Latin American integration,” said the President beginning of his speech. At the table she was accompanied by Prime Minister Alberto Otárola; Foreign Minister Ana Cecilia Gervasi; the holder of the congress, Alejandro Soto; and the President of the Exporters Association, Julio Pérez Albán.
Boluarte’s key announcements aimed to promote an agenda to increase the competitiveness and internationalization of micro and small businesses, contribute to the reactivation of tourism, promote the expansion of high-speed networks, promote economic empowerment of women, and prioritize the accession processes of Ecuador and Costa Rica as new member states, facilitating the entry into force of the Free Trade Agreement between the Pacific Alliance and Singapore and the start of negotiations for a trade agreement with South Korea.
The event was attended by Arnoldo André Tinoco, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship of Costa Rica and Daniel Legarda, Minister of Production, Foreign Trade, Investments and Fisheries of Ecuador. “The only way to strengthen these ties is through Latin American integration. The Pacific Alliance is more than a trade agreement for the exchange of goods and services. “It’s about collaboration, scholarships, tourism, exporting services, building business networks and more,” Legarda intervened. Also remotely attending were Kim Gunn, Korea’s Deputy Foreign Minister, and Alvin Tan, Singapore’s Minister of State for Trade and Industry.
“The Pacific Alliance has positioned itself in the world. Not a little has been achieved. “We will exercise the pro tempore presidency with a deep sense of responsibility and a great spirit of cooperation,” promised Boluarte, who plans to resume negotiations with Canada, Australia and New Zealand on potential trade deals. According to the President, the Pacific Alliance concentrates 42.9% of Latin America and the Caribbean’s GDP, generates 57.4% of the region’s trade and attracts 45% of foreign direct investment flows.
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“I want to say to my compatriots with renewed conviction that Peru is back. A positive and purposeful foreign policy is back. Today we commit to working for an inclusive Pacific Alliance that responds to the region’s most pressing needs,” Boluarte said at the end of his speech. The executive appears to be enjoying a reprieve: Boluarte, in her first appearance as Peruvian president, attended the Amazon summit in Bélem do Pará and is now taking over a powerful commercial mechanism that has eluded her for eight months.
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