The first round of dialogues of the agreement is scheduled to be held in mid-September in order to be concluded next December or January 2025.
Peru and El Salvador will negotiate a free trade agreement to give dynamism to exchange and investment between the two countries, a Peruvian minister in San Salvador said Thursday.
“I am pleased to announce that we are pushing the negotiations on a free trade agreement between Peru and El Salvador. I had a very important meeting with the Minister of Economy of El Salvador, in which we agreed to accelerate the steps to achieve the signing of a free trade agreement (FTA) between Peru and that economy,” said the head of Peru’s portfolio of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Elizabeth Galdo.
The first round of dialogues of the agreement is expected in mid-September in order to be concluded next December or January 2025, the minister stressed.
The official revealed the initiative at a microfinance forum involving experts from various Latin American and Caribbean countries in the Salvadoran capital.
Galdo explained that in a meeting with the Salvadoran Minister of Economy, Maria Hayem, they talked about “the policy of trade opening” promoted by President Nayib Bukele. “It matches ours,” he said.
“The free trade agreement is going to attract a lot of opportunities for both El Salvador and Peru,” he added.
He explained that in 2023 Peru exported products to El Salvador for $73 million, among which were agricultural and steelworks. Among the food, Peru exports grapes, blueberries, garlic and kion, the minister detailed.
In Peru, there is “a great opportunity to expand and diversify Salvadoran exports,” Galdo said.
Minister Galdo also highlighted the opportunities presented by the Central American country to boost tourism between the two nations. He also said that our country and El Salvador are complementary because they offer different attractions.
In that regard, she said she will seek with her counterpart from El Salvador to initiate a series of talks to strengthen tourism between the two countries, in order to increase air connectivity, with a higher frequency of flights.
He said El Salvador offers a lot of green nature and beaches to tourists, while Peru has a tourism more linked to history and gastronomy. He also considered working with the guilds in the sector to offer these packages to tourists.
This article has been translated after first appearing in Diario El Mundo