on Friday guaranteed the continuity of interdiction operations to combat illegal mining.
The government official made these remarks after leading the technical roundtable on mining formalization at the Government Palace in Lima.
Artisanal mining associations also participated in the event.
"Both representatives of the associations participating in the technical roundtable have made it very clear that interdictions are actions taken by the Executive Branch to combat illegal mining," Arana stated.
"And on that point, we have reached a unanimous conclusion that allows us to assume today that interdictions against any illegal miner will continue," he pointed out.
Likewise, the government official noted that today's session was convened with the purpose of establishing three points that had already been scheduled.
The first of these is to support those miners who are still in the formalization process.
The second is to value mining workers so that they are granted as many benefits as possible, such as job stability, employment, and healthcare.
The third is to propose the guidelines and foundations for a future Law on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (MAPE).
However, Arana added that it was decided today —at the request of the mining associations present— to create a sub-working group in order to technically and legally examine all matters related to mining in general.
"This (...) does not in any way mean a step back by the Executive Branch in its duty to foster formalization, let alone in combating illegal mining," he clarified.
The Cabinet chief insisted that one of the technical roundtable's objectives is to present a new legal and legislative proposal to Congress on mining formalization.
"The purpose of having the main stakeholders (at this roundtable) is precisely to ensure that this law is already nearly agreed upon," he noted.
Arana also reported that a representative from the Public Ministry (Prosecutor's Office) and from the Ombudsman's Office has joined the working group.