The Diplomat
The Board of Trustees of the Spain-Peru Council Foundation held its last meeting of the year at the end of December, in which, among other matters, it analyzed “the complex political moment” that the Andean country is going through after the attempted self-coup by former president Pedro Castillo.
The meeting, held on December 20, was attended by the State Secretary for Ibero-America, the Caribbean and Spanish in the World, Juan Fernández Trigo, and Peru’s acting ambassador to Spain, Óscar Maúrtua, who offered an analysis “of the country’s current political situation and bilateral relations”, which was “especially clarifying in view of the complex political moment the country is going through”, according to a press release issued by the Fundación Consejo.
Pedro Castillo was dismissed and arrested last December 7 after dissolving the National Congress and decreeing a government of exception. That same day, the Congress of the Republic appointed, by constitutional mandate, the then Vice-President Dina Boluarte as President. The Spanish Government immediately issued a communiqué in which it “firmly condemned the rupture of the constitutional order in Peru” and welcomed “the reestablishment of democratic normality”.
Immediately after the events, Ambassador Maúrtua announced his resignation in disagreement with Pedro Castillo’s actions. However, days later, he decided to remain in Madrid, where he is acting ambassador while waiting for the new Peruvian government to decide whether to accept his resignation or to ask him to continue in his post.
During the meeting of the Board of Trustees, the participants highlighted Peru’s economic resilience, “fundamental to continue generating growth and development”, and approved the Action Plan for 2023. “The meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Spain-Peru Council Foundation was a clear demonstration that Spain, its companies and institutions are committed to the country,” stated the Council Foundation.
