Interview with H.E. Mrs. Gloria del Carmen OLIVARES PORTOCARRERO de GARRO
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Peru to Romania

Vasile SIMILEANU: Excellency,

Please present to us the important aspects of the historical evolution of the Republic of Peru!

H.E. Ambassador Gloria OLIVARES: Thank you for this opportunity to dialogue with P, like many ancestral cultures around the world, has a history that begins with different kingdoms. In our case, there were several pre-Incan societies that constructed a significant part of the ancient map of South America, from the Pacific to the Andes and to part of the Amazon. For centuries, they developed sophisticated societies that were eventually conquered by the Incas around the 15th century.

The Spanish conquest began around the 1530s, and marked the beginning of a new period in our history that created a creole society in the framework of a colonial state that lasted until the beginning of the 19th century, when Peru became an independent country as other countries in Latin America.

The 19th century brought us the opportunity to start consolidating our territory and, during the beginning of the 20th century, Peru fixed its borders and became a country with a level of development trying to match the industrialization of the rest of the world. The last two decades of the twentieth century were hard ones for us because a terrorist movement deteriorated the social and economic situation in the country. After this movement was successfully defeated, the beginning of the 21st century was a period of strong development, economic and social progress that reached the more vulnerable part of the population. Unfortunately, the pandemic, as in all countries, did have a very negative effect in the development of Peru. Nowadays, our country has been able to maintain very stable macroeconomic figures and sustain a rate of economic growth that can support important social programs.

V.S.: The Peruvian Republic, in my view, is a pole of power in South America, with ties to the Hispanic world.

Please present to us, from the diplomat’s point of view, what are the geopolitical and geostrategic priorities of the Republic of Peru, in the period 2025-2040.

H.E. Ambassador Gloria OLIVARES: The diplomatic perspective reflects the internal affairs of a country, with some issues of permanent interest and others requiring attention to events that cannot always be predicted. Peruvian foreign policy has defined a concept “Active neutrality” as a guideline for its participation in the international community that projects good relationships with all the world’s main actors and keeping its active role on the world stage in terms of trade, investments, etc.

Peruvian foreign policy has within its main principles the promotion of peace and security at different levels, to create a stable environment that allows the development of the people and reduce poverty; the promotion of respect for human rights, democratic values and the rule of law; the fight against corruption, narco–trafficking and terrorism; the participation in political, economic and social processes that stimulate integration in order to allow for a better development; and, of course, the protection of our communities abroad.

In the period 2025-2040, one of our main goals is to continue our active participation in some organizations; for instance, to strengthen our presence in regional organizations such as the Andean Community or the Asia Pacific Economic Council (APEC), that Peru is going to host, for the fourth time, in 2034. In particular, we also have, as main task to complete satisfactorily our entrance to OECD in the coming years.

V.S.: What are the economic collaboration formats of which your state is a member?

What objectives and priorities do you have on your work agenda?

H.E. Ambassador Gloria OLIVARES: Peru has signed 26 bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements, with another 5 agreements soon to be in force, with countries from different geographical areas, covering almost 90% of our trade. As a concrete example I should mention the Trade Agreement between Peru and the European Union signed in 2012, which both Peru and Romania are part of, and defines our bilateral trade. Strengthening this relationship will be one of my main focuses as ambassador.

V.S.: The year 2025 is a difficult one due to the ongoing massive migration from Ecuador and Venezuela, with direct discharge for the Pacific coast!

In this context – of regional instabilities determined by tensions with Bolivia, with the pretense in Venezuela, with Colombian narcoterrorism and the pressure of MERCOSUR, how do you project your power regionally and globally?

H.E. Ambassador Gloria OLIVARES: Latin America has always been a very dynamic region, with each country developing independently, facing its own developments and its own challenges. It has not been a one-idea group of countries in terms of politics or economic tendencies.

Peru has always underscored the possibilities of cooperation and integration in the region. The Andean Community is an example of an organization with almost sixty years, where countries like Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru interact in different areas, including trade and immigration. Peru is a medium-sized country with different issues to solve and challenges to overcome in order to provide better economic and social conditions to all of our citizens. Our country has always been a defender of integration and relations within the area have moved along, despite our own political, economic or cultural differences.

V.S.: Peru has labor resources but also rare earth and strategic mineral resources. What strategies have you approached regarding their import and exploitation, to open international collaborations and with which countries? What role does Romania play in this context?

H.E. Ambassador Gloria OLIVARES: You are right, Peru has been, historically, a mining country and has rare earth and strategic minerals, especially in the Andean region. The proper export handling of these elements will allow the diversification and industrialization of our mineral products, that are well positioned in the world market. Of course, that will also allow the growth of that sector and Peru would be part of a chain of technology that is needed for its development.

V.S.: Culturally and religiously, you have unique traditions in the region. How do you promote them externally?

H.E. Ambassador Gloria OLIVARES: One of the main assets of Peru is its rich, diverse and ancient culture, so it is a central element of our foreign policy. Peruvian embassies and consulates have the responsibility to showcase a vast array of music, dances, literature, gastronomy and archaeology, among others. Usually, these presentations are supported by local cultural institutes, here in Romania through museums, universities and cultural centers. Of course, the Peruvian community in each country, the diaspora, plays an important part in the promotion of our culture.

Regarding religious tradition, even though Peru is a secular country and guarantees freedom of religion, the presence of Catholic faith in our history is present and involves some cultural traditions throughout the year. As an example, last October, the Embassy of Peru, with the support of the Peruvian and Latin American community, celebrated jointly with the Catholic Cathedral in Bucharest a celebration honoring “El Señor de los Milagros” (Lord of Miracles), a venerated image of Christ located in Lima that has millions of followers all over the world.

V.S.: What are the relations you have in mind, in the new international context, with BRICS+, MERCOSUR, NATO and EU states, but especially with the US and China? What strategies do you promote in relations with Middle Eastern states?

H.E. Ambassador Gloria OLIVARES: As I mentioned before Peru is a medium-sized country and has good relations with countries with different political or economic systems. Both countries that you mentioned are our most important partners in terms of trade and other areas, as is also the European Union, with whom we have historical links. “Active neutrality” is the idea behind our foreign policy, so relations with different countries are seen as a sum of opportunities to strengthen our institutions, continue developing our economy and improving the lives of all of our citizens.

Regarding our relationship with Middle Eastern countries, Peru is following the same path. Around fifteen years ago we established embassies in the Gulf Region and we are closer to them with a very positive agenda to develop.

V.S.: Are economic missions a priority and how are they developing in relations with other states and, of course, with Romania? In what areas of collaboration?

H.E. Ambassador Gloria OLIVARES: Of course, economic missions are a priority in the work we have been doing. In the last couple of years, there has been an exchange of trade missions traveling to and from Peru, which has allowed both countries to better know their markets and where they need to work to improve the balance of trade.

In the coming weeks, there will be a group of Romanian entrepreneurs traveling to Peru. For us, this is a very important opportunity to show them the situation of the Peruvian economy, what our markets offer and the investments that we could require. That makes a two-way beneficial opportunity for the bilateral relation among our countries.

V.S.: What strategies should the Peruvian state design in its bilateral relations: economic, military, cultural, touristic and commercial with Bolivia, Chile and Brazil? What infrastructure projects do you have in mind? Romania can become a strong supplier of strategic resources on the Peruvian market. What are the current realities?

H.E. Ambassador Gloria OLIVARES: Bolivia, Chile and Brazil are three of our five border countries. The relations with the border countries have a special importance for all countries. There is a special dynamic in terms of trade, of migration, of culture, indeed, all the aspects of a bilateral relation.

There is a permanent effort to improve integration with those countries, and there is a broad agenda with the three of them that includes trade, immigration, defense, health and a whole host of other issues as well. With Bolivia and Chile (and other countries as well) we have an interesting mechanism that brings together periodically the ministerial cabinets of the countries, which allows for direct coordination between those responsible for each specific issue.

V.S.: What is the perception of the Republic of Peru in Romania and what is the perception of Romania in the Republic of Peru? What joint collaborations do you want to develop in the future? How is the bilateral trade balance?

H.E. Ambassador Gloria OLIVARES: I think that, even though we are quite far, each country has a positive perception of the other. We are countries with ancient and rich histories that have developed in our own regions but with strong and positive diplomatic relations of more than 85 years that were celebrated in 2024. There are some families with members of both nationalities and families that of both origins.

One thing that we are working on is the trade balance. It is still not significant, but I expect that 2026 can give a good boost to the trade between our countries through the presence and participation of entrepreneurs from both sides.

V.S.: Please send a message to the readers of GeoPolitica Magazine!

H.E. Ambassador Gloria OLIVARES: It is more important than ever that people stay well informed and aware of the developments at the international level. Being informed is part of our responsibility as citizens and contributes to creating a global conscience that we are connected even though sometimes we do not realize it. Thank you to GeoPolitica for helping to create an open channel that connects international foreign policy with the public.

Vasile SIMILEANU: Your Excellency,

On behalf of the GeoPolitica Magazine team and our readers, we wish you much success in achieving the objectives facing the diplomatic mission in Romania!