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Secretary General of the OAS Concludes Visit to Peru

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, said today that Peru is an example of harmonious and solid democracy, social development and economic growth. During his one day visit to the country he met with the President of the Republic, Alan García; the President of the Council of Ministers, José Antonio Chang; and the Minister of Foreign Relations, José Antonio García Belaúnde.

During a productive day, the OAS Secretary General praised the political and economic consistency that is evident in a country that has maintained an important level of growth. This has social implications and has reduced the poverty levels and increased political stability, which has characterized Peru in recent years.

The Secretary General congratulated the current Government for what he described as “an important period for the country’s economic, political, as well as social history, because democracy generates development and well-being for a significant number of citizens, which is what they expect from the authorities they elect”.

The head of the hemispheric Organization called attention to the maturity of the Peruvian Electoral System and established what he called “a clear relation between this and the responsible management of President Alan García’s Government, who has complied with the people who placed confidence in him.

Furthermore the OAS Secretary General recalled that the Inter-American Democratic Charter was crafted 10 years ago in Lima, and he held that the balance in terms of expansion of democracy in the region is remarkable, especially regarding the elections, which is an important dimension to evaluate the impact of this instrument on the continent.

Chancellor García Belaúnde thanked the OAS Secretary General for his visit, saying he is “a politician with a great career of democratic tradition that played a major role in the recovering and strengthening of democracy in his country”. He said that “persistence and courage in pursuit of strengthening democracy in the region are the features of his administration, as much as in the regional sphere as on the continent”.

The Peruvian Foreign Minister highlighted the role played by Secretary General Insulza in building consensus around the most difficult issues in the region, among them Honduras. He said that the visit of the highest representative of the OAS General Secretariat should be interpreted as an acknowledgement of the democratic contribution made by Peru to the region during the current administration. “Thank you, Mr. Secretary General, for your efforts to make this Hemisphere more democratic, more just and with more cooperation,” he added.

Secretary General Insulza signed today three agreements at the Peruvian Foreign Ministry: a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Cultural Affairs; an agreement with the National Jury of Elections regarding the observation procedures for the general election to be held next April; and a third instrument with the Government, regarding the privileges and immunities of the Electoral Observation Mission (EOM).

Besides the signings, the OAS Secretary General announced that the EOM to accompany the April election will be headed by former Foreign Minister of Argentina Dante Caputo. Regarding the Inter-American Year of Culture in 2011, he announced the creation of the award “Cultural Heritage of the Americas”, to be presented annually by the OAS General Secretariat to Member States for the richness of their cultural traditions. The award will be presented this year on March 23rd to the Peruvian gastronomy.

During his visit to Lima, Secretary General Insulza was accompanied by the Permanent Representative of Peru to the OAS, Amb. Hugo de Zela.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-524/11