Kingdom to send first ambassador to Peru

Saudi Arabia would soon send its first ambassador to Peru, according to the South American country’s ambassador in Riyadh.
Eduardo Martinetti, Peru’s first envoy in the Kingdom, said this was an important step in the relations of the two nations.
Martinetti was speaking on Thursday at the celebrations of his country’s 193rd National Day, held at a local hotel. Abdullah Al-Qarni, deputy governor of Riyadh, Azzam bin Abdul Karim Al-Gain, chief of protocol at the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and members of the foreign diplomatic community were present.
“Saudi-Peruvian diplomatic relations are comparatively young. They were first established in 1986 and it was only two years ago that we opened our embassy in Riyadh. Then things started moving quite fast, because last year the Kingdom decided to follow suit by opening its diplomatic mission in Lima. Very soon the first Saudi ambassador to Peru, Muneer Binjabi, will be traveling to Lima,” he said.
“This qualitative change is the turning point that has allowed Peru to participate more actively in the international arena and expand its diplomatic and economic presence in the Gulf and especially Saudi Arabia,” the envoy said in his speech.
“We have reached this holy land filled with economic opportunities precisely at the time when Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah is strengthening and enlightening the vision for the future of the Kingdom.”
He said the Kingdom’s leadership has ensured peace and economic development in the country. There were many opportunities for mutual benefit, including trade and investment, he said.
Martinetti said Peru has a rich cultural heritage and biodiversity. The country is also stable after unprecedented economic expansion for 14 years in a row at a faster rate than the regional average.
“We have doubled our Gross Domestic Product twice over the last 10 years and, at the same time, have also cut our poverty levels in half. The country will continue this year to maintain the rate of economic growth that will create jobs and expand the middle class,” he said.
He said there were many tourist attractions in Peru including the Great Inca Trail, a vast network of Andean and coastal roads of about 40,000 km, built by the ancient Peruvians, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The celebrations on Thursday included the performance of Apu-Inka, an ensemble of traditional Peruvian music, and local food.