President Traian Basescu stated Tuesday in Lima, Peru that Romania would sign a strategic partnership, the document is to be signed in 2013 or 2014, during a visit to Bucharest of his counterpart Ollanta Moises Humala Tasso, Mediafax reports.
“I’ve asked him (Peru’s president – r.n) to envisage a visit to Bucharest this year or the next, on which occasion we will sign a strategic partnership Romanian – Peruvian, which in the meantime must be very well prepared by our governments”, Basescu stated during the joint press conference with his Peruvian counterpart.
Basescu emphasized that the strategic partnership, which would be the first between Romania and a Latin American country, would target both trade relations and it would also provide ‘a technological transfer ‘ for industrial production to Peru, and the development from Peru of trade and industrial relations to other countries in Latin America.
“Romania is a country with advanced technology in many areas and our desire is that within a political decisions framework, Romanian and Peruvian companies undertake joint ventures in Peru," Basescu said.
He showed that these joint ventures could cover the production of cars for freight , passengers and metro trains, President Ollanta Humala showed that his government planned to start the construction of subway lines.
Băsescu also emphasized that Romania could export to Peru equipment for the production of hydro power plants, oil drilling equipment terrestrial or marine.
"Not least, Romania has as element, maybe somewhat exotic in that region of Europe, but it has a capacity to build cheap wooden homes and prefabricated which it also exports. We can take part in such a project in Peru” Basescu stated.
The head of state said that the strategic partnership between the EU and CELAC countries of Latin America and the Caribbean could bring the two countries ‘on the command deck of the globalization process’.
The EU invested over the last decade over 385 billion in the CELAC countries, ie more than in Russia, China and India combined, but most of these investments were directed to Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, other south American countries also foster potential for cooperation.
He noted as areas of cooperation with Peru the civilian and military shipbuilding and the export of generic drugs for a national health program conducted by the Government of Lima.
"We have an economy complementary to that of Romania and also Peru currently has a potential for export commodities and mining, food and agriculture products. Last year we had an export volume which exceeded 6 billion dollars in the euro area, which is one of our main trading partners" the Peruvian president showed.
Peru and Colombia concluded in June 2012, a Free Trade Area Treaty with the EU, ratified in December by the European Parliament and the Parliament in Lima. Romania signed the Treaty on May 31, 2012, which is to be ratified by our Parliament.
Peru, like other Latin American countries, is undergoing a period of economic boom. The country has a population of 30 million inhabitants, a GDP of 177 billion U.S. dollars in 2011, with an economic growth of 6.8% in the same year, while for 2012 a growth of 6% is estimated.