Ana Cecilia Gervasi: The Peruvian Foreign Minister resigns after the failed meeting between Dina Boluarte and Joe Biden

“Every time you go outside, you don't go for a walk,” said Dina Boluarte shortly after receiving the approval of Congress to undertake her fourth trip abroad since assuming the presidency of Peru: a tour of the United States within the framework of the Alliance for Economic Prosperity (APEP) Leaders Summit. Indeed, the president spent four days in Washington and Maryland last week. His visit was controversial due to two facts: stating at the event that “Peru is a country that is calm and at peace” after Pedro Castillo's failed coup on December 7, 2022, and his frustrated meeting with Joe Biden. United States's president.

Boluarte justified his trip by citing a meeting agreed with his American counterpart and stressed that his purpose was to “position the country in the global showcase” and, in this way, attract “sustainable investments.” However, last Friday the meeting remained a mirage: while the Peruvian Government reported the announced appointment - although without specifying the exact time or place - the name of the Peruvian president was conspicuous by her absence on the president's official agenda. . Hours later, the Executive posted some photos of Boluarte next to Biden in one of the hallways of the White House. Captures that showed a chance meeting without the formalities of the case. On the social networks of the North American Government, however, no allusive image was published.

In the midst of a wave of criticism, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement in which it tried to disguise the situation and insisted that despite everything, the leaders were able to talk about some of the major issues that concern both nations. “[La cita] It was not carried out with the protocol that characterizes bilateral meetings because the times were short (...) They were able to talk about issues such as migration and the fight against drug trafficking," they noted in the document. Immediately, congressmen from various groups demanded from the Government a forceful response regarding an event that has been described as an “international shame.”

Back in Lima, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ana Cecilia Gervasi, assured that the bilateral meeting was confirmed by the White House and that they even determined the format, which is why she denies any negligence on the part of her portfolio. “I emphatically affirm that all the information transmitted to the Congress of the Republic in the request for authorization to the President of the Republic to travel to Washington has been truthful and supported by the agreements reached with the authorities of the United States,” reads another release.

Gervasi requested to meet with the Congressional Foreign Relations Commission and give his explanations in those instances; However, his request was denied and he was instead required to appear at an extraordinary plenary session this Tuesday afternoon. “He must be known and explained in detail in the plenary session, as a consequence of having been granted said permission with a large majority by the national representation under the principle of good faith,” the letter states.

Given this, Gervasi surprisingly resigned from the Foreign Ministry this Monday without self-criticism involved. Rather, he emphasized what in his opinion are the management achievements: overcoming the tensions against him as a result of the coup d'état of December 7 and that "Peru is today a respected country and fully integrated into the international context." ”. In reference to Dina Boluarte, Gervasi said: “I will continue to collaborate with you and with Peru from the responsibilities that I have to perform in my capacity as a career diplomatic official.”

The head of the Council of Ministers, Alberto Otárola, spoke about the departure of Gervasi, who highlighted “his efficient management in difficult times.” “Evidently his resignation is due, among other things, to events known to all, but which mean the end of a process and leadership in the Foreign Ministry. This will conclude with the appointment of who will succeed her,” Otárola reported from the Palace.

The failure of her meeting with President Biden adds a new scandal for Dina Boluarte: an investigation into the Sunday program Fourth power has uncovered that a district mayor of the Cajamarca region received 20 million soles (5.3 million dollars) for investment projects shortly after meeting in Lima with Nicanor Boluarte, brother of the head of state. “He is completely free to receive whoever he wants. Let it be investigated. "My brother will know how to defend himself before the Public Ministry about this infamy that they have tried to invent for him," Boluarte justified.

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