The Diplomat
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, assured yesterday that the Government has already repatriated 225 Spanish tourists who had expressed their desire to leave Peru after the self-coup perpetrated in early December by former President Pedro Castillo.
“Our Embassy, our consulate and the consular emergency unit of the General Directorate of Consular Affairs have been active from the very first moment when roadblocks, airport closures and the enactment of the state of emergency in Peru began to take place,” Albares said during a joint press conference in Madrid with his Lithuanian counterpart, Gabrielius Lansbergis.
“We have a permanent work of communication by e-mail and telephone with the Spaniards we have located, who are 360 Spaniards who want to leave the country,” he continued. “We have followed up on the situation and have identified situations of particular vulnerability,” he added. “Most of them are in Cuzco and there are other groups in Arequipa and other localities,” he specified.
Specifically, 279 Spanish tourists have been located in Cuzco, “of which 175 have already left the country, 50 will leave today (yesterday), the rest are scheduled to leave throughout this week and a minority have expressed that they want to stay there voluntarily,” he continued. “We are only talking about the tourists who have contacted us; I encourage all Spaniards who have moved for tourism to Peru to contact the special telephones enabled at the Embassy, the consulates and the emergency unit to give us their coordinates and know where they are,” he concluded.
In addition, the Minister reiterated the travel recommendations to Peru published by his Department last December 15, in which “it is recommended that Spanish residents and passers-by in Peru remain attentive to the evolution of the situation through the announcements of local authorities and media, follow their recommendations, limit their movements outside the hotel or accommodation where they are staying as much as possible and, in any case, avoid approaching areas where rallies or demonstrations are taking place”. Likewise, “they are recommended to postpone trips to Peru, except in cases of absolute necessity”.
