MEETING BETWEEN FOREIGN SECRETARY PATRICIA ESPINOSA AND PERUVIAN FOREIGN MINISTER RAFAEL RONCAGLIOLO ORBEGOSO

The Foreign Ministry reports that Peruvian Foreign Minister Rafael Roncagliolo Orbegoso paid an official visit to Mexico, meeting with Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa Cantellano and attending the eighth meeting for Mexico-Peru political consultations.

The two officials reviewed several bilateral and regional issues at their cordial meeting that confirmed the continued high-level political dialogue between Mexico and Peru.
They applauded the dynamic bilateral economic relationship and, in particular, the opportunity to further boost trade and investment now that the Trade Integration Agreement has been in force since February 1st.

They stressed their interest in strengthening cooperation to combat transnational organized crime through the various bilateral mechanisms already in existence, including the Mexico-Peru Committee for Cooperation against Drug Trafficking and Drug Dependency, which met in Lima in last December.

The ministers also agreed on the importance of the agreement to create a hemispheric system against transnational organized crime, a Mexican initiative adopted at the recent Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia.  They reaffirmed the commitment of Mexico and Peru to work together closely to achieve the goals of this initiative, and Peru confirmed its participation in the meeting that will be convened by Mexico in May to make progress with setting up a continental network to set policies and programs to fight organized crime.

Both officials noted the importance of joint actions to achieve tangible results in the fight against drugs and stressed the importance of the forthcoming International Conference of Foreign Ministers and Heads of Specialized National Agencies on the Global Drug Problem, an event that also received the full support of the Summit of the Americas. The Mexican Foreign Ministry promised that Mexico would participate at the highest possible level.

The Peruvian Foreign Minister expressed his appreciation for the assistance offered by the Mexican government to put in place in Peru a system similar to Platform Mexico.
They applauded the growing and fruitful exchange of poverty-alleviation policies for the most vulnerable sectors of their countries in order to promote economic growth with social inclusion, one of the key elements for achieving sustainable development for the benefit of their populations.

The ministers stressed the importance of the regional forums in which both countries participate, especially the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which has allowed the region to agree through dialogue and has provided a political forum that allows it to act more effectively in the multilateral organizations and conferences and to further the goals of regional integration.

The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the Pacific Alliance, which includes Chile and Colombia in addition to Mexico and Peru, as well as Panama and Costa Rica as observers. This alliance will create further opportunities for the regional integration of its members and allow more integration with the Asia-Pacific. The two officials committed to working together to continue strengthening this important program.

The discussions also included various bilateral, regional and multilateral topics, including technical, scientific, educational, cultural and social policy cooperation. The ministers especially welcomed the results of the tenth meeting of the Joint Commission for Scientific and Technical Cooperation which was held recently and the adoption of the 2012-2014 Cooperation Program which consists of 16 projects with an agenda focused on areas of common interest such as environment, science and technology and social development. They also welcomed the upcoming seventh meeting of the Joint Committee on Educational and Cultural Cooperation, which will take place on May 21 in Mexico City.