on Thursday concluded an intensive round of meetings in Washington, D.C., aimed at strengthening the strategic alliance with the United States and expanding the bilateral agenda, particularly in the areas of security and defense.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said both meetings addressed challenges and opportunities on the bilateral and hemispheric agenda.
The increase in resources to address drug trafficking and transnational organized crime was highlighted, along with the inclusion of funding for cybersecurity and efforts to combat illegal mining.
Meeting with Maria Corina Machado
In the U.S. capital, the foreign minister held a meeting with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
During the gathering, he conveyed Peru's firm commitment to the swift and full restoration of democracy in Venezuela, the return to constitutional order, as well as the defense and promotion of human rights in that sister nation.
Likewise, the career diplomat met with Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Chairman Jose Luis Caballero Ochoa.
Furthermore, the government official welcomed Marion Bethel in her capacity as the IACHR's new Rapporteur for Peru.
At the meeting, De Zela expressed the Peruvian State's full willingness to cooperate with the exercise of the Commission's mandate. Similarly, he underscored Peru's firm commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights.
Lastly, the Foreign Affairs minister held a phone conversation with his Honduran counterpart, Mireya Agüero, whom he congratulated on her recent appointment.
Both officials conducted a brief review of the bilateral agenda and agreed, at the earliest opportunity, to restore diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level between both countries.