November 15, 2024
President Biden met today with President Dina Boluarte of Peru at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ week in Lima, Peru. President Biden congratulated President Boluarte for Peru’s successful APEC host year and thanked her for Peru’s longstanding partnership with the United States. The two leaders discussed U.S.-Peru cooperation in security and counternarcotics, economic investment and trade, and space collaboration.
President Biden reiterated our commitment to support Peru’s counternarcotics capabilities through a $65 million security assistance package that includes the planned transfer of nine Black Hawk helicopters. He thanked President Boluarte for Peru’s close coordination on counternarcotics, including Peru’s decision to approve measures required to share radar information between the United States and Peru for the first time in a decade. President Biden also highlighted a California Caltrain donation of more than 100 locomotives to the city of Lima to promote cleaner transportation. Lastly, President Biden discussed our expanded space cooperation with Peru, including through a NASA Sounding Rocket Memorandum of Understanding that NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Peruvian counterparts signed as part of this visit.
The two leaders also discussed the challenges in Venezuela. President Biden thanked Peru for its support at the Organization of American States and the United Nations to call for the return to democratic governance in Venezuela.
Remarks by President Biden and President Dina Boluarte Zegarra of the Republic of Peru in Bilateral Meeting
Lima Convention Center
Lima, Peru
PRESIDENT BOLUARTE: (As interpreted.) Dear Mr. President of the United States —
(The interpretive audio devices are adjusted.)
PRESIDENT BIDEN: I have to tell you before I begin, when I was a young senator, the president — a senior senator from Texas said, “Joe, someday you’re going to run for president. You better learn Spanish.” (Laughter.) I only speak English.
All right.
PRESIDENT BOLUARTE: (As interpreted.) Dear Mr. President Biden, first of all, I would like to welcome you to our dear country amidst the APEC 2024 Leaders’ Week. We hope that you and your delegation are enjoying your stay here in Lima, Peru, and that you are well treated.
Thank you very much for your visit. Thank you very much for sharing our mutual interests through this APEC forum, where we gather with the most important 21 economies in the world.
You, Mr. President, and your delegation are most welcome to my country.
PRESIDENT BIDEN: Well, Madam President, thank you very much. And my only concern is my colleagues are not going to come home with me. (Laughter.) They’re going to want to stay. You have a truly beautiful country.
And you’re a very important and valued partner. That’s for real.
Our countries work closely together, day in and day out, to manage the regional challenges we both face, to defend democracy, to protect the environment, and to provide good jobs — good-paying jobs for our people.
With your permission, Madam President, I’d like to highlight three areas of growing cooperation.
First, we want to thank you for elevating our fight against drug trafficking, a mutual concern. I’m pleased to announce $65 million over the next five years to assist — in assistance to Peru, including the nine Black Hawk helicopters and training for more than 130 pilots and technicians.
And second, we are partnering on infrastructure. California Caltrain has donated 150 passenger cars and locomotives to the Lima metro rail, part of a much larger collaboration that will save Peru millions of dollars and reduce pollution and deepen ties between and among our businesses.
And third, we’re cooperating on space exploration. Now, that fellow right there, the former senator from Florida — very close friend of mine — every time my wife thinks I’m getting out of hand, she says, “I’m going to call him and have him send you to space.” (Laughter.) And I’m a little concerned he may want to send me to space because we got to get some folks back home. (Laughter.)
In May, Peru joined the — the Artemis Accords and set the principles of the be- — best practices for how we move on space.
And this week, we’ve agreed to cooperate on research rockets as well — our countries.
So, Madam President, thank you for your leadership within APEC, and thank you for your partnership and friendship with the United States. And I genuinely look forward to our discussion.
PRESIDENT BOLUARTE: (As interpreted.) Thank you very much.
3:52 P.M. PET