13:29 | Lima, Mar. 22 (ANDINA).
President Alan Garcia said Monday that Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s state visit to Peru is a reunion of two close countries that share a long-standing friendship.
The Head of State said that Peru never turned its back to Argentina, "a country with which we share the spirit of Liberator San Martin, and when the time came, we backed Argentina's claim of sovereignty over the Falkland Islands."
"We are delighted to welcome the President of Argentina (...) this visit marks the end of an incident that should never happen," said Garcia Perez, referring to the 1995 arms sale by the Argentine Government, led at that time by Carlos Saul Menem, to Ecuador during an armed conflict with Peru.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez pays a two-day official visit to Peru with the aim of boosting bilateral ties. The visit, the first by an Argentine president to Peru in 16 years, seeks to "leave behind the mistakes done in recent history," said the Argentine Government.
Fernandez, whose entourage included key ministers and more than 100 business people, on Monday attended the signing of a series of strategic association agreements along with her Peruvian counterpart Alan Garcia.
(END) INT/FPQ/EEP
Published: 3/22/2010