President Santiago Peña attended the swearing-in ceremony of Keiko Fujimori as the new president of Peru on Tuesday in Lima, where he reinforced bilateral ties and advocated for greater regional integration. During a meeting at the Palacio de Torre Tagle, the headquarters of the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Relations, the two leaders discussed cooperation on security, trade, and infrastructure.
Peña highlighted the historic opportunity to invigorate relations between Paraguay and Peru, countries that maintain modest commercial links but have significant growth potential. The Paraguayan president mentioned the importance of the Bioceanic Corridor for connecting Paraguayan production to Peruvian Pacific ports like Ilo and Matarani, facilitating access to markets in the Pacific Alliance.
On security, Peña warned that transnational organized crime is a regional threat that requires coordination between governments. "Organized crime is fought with organized governments, with organized nations," he stated, revealing that Paraguay's Interior Minister, Enrique Riera, has already begun talks with the new Peruvian authorities to establish joint strategies.
The two countries agreed to deepen Economic Complementation Agreement No. 58 (ACE 58) within the framework of the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), updating regulatory and tariff frameworks to expand trade. The Paraguayan delegation also included the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Raúl Latorre, and Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano.
Keiko Fujimori, who takes office after winning the election by a narrow margin of less than 50,000 votes, is the second woman to preside over Peru and the political heir of former president Alberto Fujimori. Her government has promised to confront the security crisis that saw homicides in the country rise from 1,000 in 2018 to 2,600 in 2025.
Following the ceremony in Peru, Peña will travel to Quito, Ecuador, where he will meet with President Daniel Noboa to discuss cooperation agreements on security and judicial matters.