Published:
24 Dec 2022 23:46 GMT
Despite the current problems, the commercial exchange between Lima and Mexico has not been affected, assured the minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism of the Andean nation.
The tensions between Peru and Mexico that erupted as a result of the political and social crisis that the Andean country is going through, could become even more acute if the Government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador decides to grant asylum to Yenifer Paredessister-in-law of ousted President Pedro Castillo, and his nephew Fray Vásquez, as warned this Saturday by the Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Luis Fernando Helguero, in statements to tv peru.
“Of course yes [sería una provocación], although that is the scope of the Foreign Ministry and the president herself. But it seems to me that would be an escalation [de tensiones]”, said Helguero, when asked about this possibility, after Mexico already gave asylum to Castillo’s wife, Lilia Paredes, and their children Arnold and Alondra, who they find each other on Mexican soil since last Wednesday.
Both Vásquez and Paredes are being investigated by the Prosecutor’s Office in relation to accusations that link them to a criminal organization which, supposedly, would be headed by the mandatory vacado.
At the end of October, Paredes, who is also accused for crimes of aggravated collusion and money laundering in relation to the performance of public works with fixed tenders, he left from prison after the Justice revoked his preventive detention.
safe trade relations
On the other hand, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism assured that the commercial exchange between Lima and Mexico has not been affected, despite the political disagreements.
“The trade has not changed. I have spoken with different people who are in the exchange and I do not feel affected. We have very strong tools that we have negotiated with Mexico bilaterally or multilaterally that give exporters confidence. Mexico is our third trading partner after Brazil and Chile,” Helguero highlighted.
In this sense, he recalled that Mexico is the second Latin American investor in Peruvian assets. Likewise, the senior official stressed that the current problems “they are going to pass” and he was convinced that both countries will continue “forward”.
- After the then Peruvian President Pedro Castillo tried unsuccessfully to dissolve Congress on December 7, Parliament dismissed him and was later arrested by the police when he was going to take refuge to the Embassy of Mexico in Lima.
- In the midst of the political crisis, which worsened with massive simultaneous protests in favor of Castillo and against the swearing in of the current president Dina Boluarte, the governments of Bolivia, Colombia, Argentina and Mexico published a statement demanding respect for the will of the people.
- On December 21, the Peruvian government stated ‘persona non grata’ to the Mexican ambassador, Pablo Monroy, and expelled him from the country. For his part, Boluarte lashed out against López Obrador for his “interference“in the internal affairs of the Andean country.
