PERU
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the present state of political, cultural, trade and military relations with Peru; and if he will make a statement. [138394]
Mr Swire, Minister of State: The UK has increased its presence in Peru over the past two years, which has been warmly welcomed by the Peruvian Government. The UK and Peru work closely together on a wide range of areas including climate change and energy, economic development and trade, drugs and international crime, defence, and democracy and governance.
The embassy in Lima works closely with local organisations to promote British cultural events in Peru, and to support visiting academics and exhibitions.
We were concerned by the short notice cancellation of HMS Montrose's proposed visit last year. Ministerial discussions, including at Foreign Secretary level, have moved the relationship past this setback and visits in the latter part of 2012 by senior defence officials discussed cooperation across a range of defence and security areas.
The UK is the second biggest foreign direct investor in Peru. We look forward to strengthening our economic ties through the upcoming EU-Andean Free Trade agreement, which will be another important tool to help our companies develop further business between the UK and Peru. We also look forward to welcoming the second In Peru trade and investment delegation to the UK later this year.
The UK sees drugs as a shared threat and a key area for collaborative work and we share Peru's determination to win the fight against drugs.