Foreign Affairs Minister Hugo de Zela on Thursday said the government is awaiting the Holy See to set a date for an audience between
Pope Leo XIV and
President Jose Maria Balcazar to reiterate the invitation for him to visit Peru.
It should be noted that, prior to the Head of State taking office, the meeting had been scheduled for May 11.
However, the minister clarified that this date is no longer valid.
"We are currently awaiting the Vatican to set a new date so that President (Jose Maria) Balcazar can travel to Rome and directly convey the invitation to His Holiness to visit Peru, which I believe is a wish shared by all Peruvians," he told RPP Noticias.
Thus, the Cabinet member reaffirmed that this commitment for Pope Leo XIV to visit Peru remains in place.
"In any case, God willing, we will have him here," De Zela added.
Talks with Chile's Foreign Affairs Minister
The Foreign Affairs minister highlighted Chile's interest in improving processing at the Tacna–Arica border crossing to speed up the entry of people into Peru, which—he said—is beneficial for the country.
The government official indicated that, on the day work began on the construction of a wall along the shared border—as announced by President Jose Antonio Kast—De Zela had the opportunity to speak with his Chilean counterpart, Francisco Perez Mackenna, who told him the actions were being carried out in fulfillment of a campaign promise by the president.
"And he (the Chilean Foreign Affairs minister) told me something interesting: they are very interested in improving the quality and speed of processing for those who wish to travel from Chile to Peru through regular channels, in order to facilitate transit. That benefits us greatly because we will then have more Chileans in Tacna consuming Peruvian goods and services," De Zela indicated.
In addition, the Peruvian diplomat said the information they have indicates that construction will take place behind the Line of Concordia, starting from Landmark 2, meaning the structure will be located "exclusively within Chile's sovereign territory."
Relations with the U.S.
At another point, the minister said the main focus of relations with the United States is to strengthen the investment component so that flows increase and return to levels seen in previous years, with the support of that country's current Ambassador, Bernie Navarro.
"We have a strong desire for U.S. investment to regain the presence it had in Peru some years ago. Bernie Navarro is a highly dynamic man; we can work with him because he has access to the highest levels in the United States; therefore, he can be someone who helps us greatly," De Zela noted.
The Cabinet member said the government is working on how to attract U.S. capital and that one factor that will help is conveying to business leaders Peru's economic stability, which makes it attractive for investment.
(END) MCA/MVB
Publicado: 19/3/2026