On the 203rd anniversary of the Independence of Peru, Ambassador Patricia Ráez wrote to Việt Nam News about Peru-Việt Nam relations

July 28 marks the 203rd anniversary of Peru's Independence and National Day. At the same time, this year is very important because we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Peru and Việt Nam. The 30 years of ties between our countries have led to the establishment of a mutually beneficial relationship in various fields.

Both countries have an ancient history, a rich and varied gastronomy, and aspire to achieve increasingly higher levels of socioeconomic development.

Over the past three decades, we have established bilateral procedures, both in the political-diplomatic and economic-commercial arenas. We have the Political Consultation Mechanism between Peru and Việt Nam that meets periodically between the Vice Ministers of Foreign Affairs. There is also the Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Affairs and Technical Cooperation at the level of Vice Ministers, which we hope to hold meetings later this year.

Patricia Yolanda Ráez, Ambassador of Peru to Việt Nam, presents the Letter of Credentials in May 2024. Photo Courtesy of the embassy

Both countries have growing economies with a high degree of openness, and we believe in multilateralism, globalisation, and respect for international law. We have important similarities and give support to each other's candidates within the framework of the United Nations. We are part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and the Cooperation Forum for Latin America and the Caribbean (FEALAC).

In January 2024, Peru became an “ASEAN Development Partner” - the sixth country in the world to obtain this type of relationship - which demonstrates our commitment to continue strengthening our ties with Southeast Asia and means a new stage with the bloc to increase the flow of trade and cooperation and to project Peru's interests among ASEAN member states.

In recent years there have been several meetings at the highest official levels between Peru and Việt Nam. The most recent was between the Presidents in November 2023, on the sidelines of the APEC Leaders Summit, in San Francisco, and the meeting between Ministers of Foreign Affairs, which took place last May within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Ministerial Council Conference in Paris.

At a commercial level, Peru is Việt Nam's sixth trading partner in Latin America and exchanges reached more than 700 million dollars in 2023. Given that both countries are members of the CPTPP, there is a lot of potential to continue growing steadily in this area, considering that many products are exempt from tariffs. Precisely one of the main goals is to increase Peruvian exports to Việt Nam, in order to have a more balanced trade relationship. With the opening of the Chancay Megaport in Peru this November, the maritime transport time between Peru and Việt Nam will shorten from 40 to 25 days, which will increase capacity and efficiency to the exchange of goods and will also open opportunities in the sector of logistics services.

On the other hand, Việt Nam is the main Southeast Asian investor in Peru, having funded 1.3 billion dollars in various projects, made possible by Viettel and Petrovietnam.

The Embassy has been participating in many events and trade fairs in Việt Nam, such as Food Expo and Cafeshow, to gain access for Peruvian products here locally. The first Mission of Peruvian businessmen to Vietnam took place this past May, and met with their counterparts.

With regards to culture, the Embassy has been organising various events this year, both to celebrate the 203rd anniversary of the Independence of Peru and the 30 years of bilateral relations with Việt Nam. From July 18th to 23rd we held a photo exhibition about the Nature Preserves of Peru in an art gallery in Hoàn Kiếm. In October, we will be holding a Quechua Pop (Q-Pop) concert in Hà Nội Opera House. As Quechua is the language of the Incas, this concert will be the first of its kind and we expect a large turnout.

Nazca lines located in the arid Peruvian coastal plain, some 400 km south of Lima, the Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Pampas de Jumana are one of the most impressive-looking archaeological areas in the world and an extraordinary example of the traditional and millenary magical-religious world of the ancient Pre-Hispanic societies which flourished on the Peruvian south coast between the 8th century BC and the 8th century AD. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, these geoglyphs traced onto the surface of the desert measure up to 300 meters in length, and their messages remain undeciphered.

In 2024, Peru is hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC). This coming November we anticipate that the President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Việt Nam will arrive in Peru to participate in the APEC Leaders Summit. This will also be a good opportunity to celebrate 30 years of bilateral relations with encounters between our highest authorities.

As can be seen, there is a very active exchange and dialogue in different fields and we are looking forward to even stronger relations in the coming years, particularly in terms of trade and investments, and also exchange of delegations.

Personally, I arrived in Việt Nam this past May. It is my first time in Southeast Asia and I am impressed by the dynamism and industriousness of the Vietnamese people and by the desire to achieve higher levels of development.

As Peru celebrates 203 years of independence and 30 years of diplomatic relations with Việt Nam, I will work to nurture our relationship, so cooperation between our countries continue to be fruitful for the people of both nations. VNS