The United States and Peru have a longstanding relationship built on the shared values of democracy and economic prosperity, said U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on a recent visit.
The U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, or PTPA, recently celebrated its 9th anniversary. This agreement, said Mr. Tillerson, “has really been a cornerstone of our bilateral relationship,” and “sets a high standard for both of our countries on market access, investment safeguards, intellectual property rights, environmental and labor rights.”Thanks to the PTPA, two-way trade continues to increase between the U.S. and Peru, from $9.1 billion in 2009 to $14.3 billion in 2016. That’s an almost 60 percent increase in trade.
Both countries also share a strong law enforcement and security relationship. Secretary Tillerson observed that “All of our nations suffer the results of trans-criminal organizations who are marketing narcotics, trafficking human beings, weapons, and we have a very good joint effort with Peru to counter these transnational criminal organizations.”
In October, Peru hosted a gathering of general prosecutors and attorneys from more than 20 countries to promote more effective criminal prosecution of trans-criminal organizations. This is creating a network throughout the hemisphere of information on these organizations so they can be interdicted, held accountable, and disrupted.
Secretary Tillerson acknowledged Peru’s strong support for the international effort to send North Korea’s leadership a message that they must give up their nuclear weapons.
Both Peru and the United States share serious concerns over the political and humanitarian disaster unfolding in Venezuela. “Our governments appreciate Peru’s leadership of the Lima Group in an effort to bring some reconciliation between the Maduro regime and the opposition,” said Secretary Tillerson. The Venezuelan regime must respect the constitution and allow the voice of the Venezuelan people to be heard in the selection of their leaders. The U.S. and Peru also discussed the best way to relieve the suffering of the Venezuelan people.
The United States looks forward to working together with Peru on spurring economic growth, rooting out transnational crime, and ushering in democratic change to the hemisphere.
