President-elect Ollanta Humala called on greater cooperation with Brazil to improve security along Peru’s eastern-jungle border region, daily El Comercio reported.
“We have to fight against drug trafficking and against security risks,” Humala said. This is a “common problem” of Peru and Brazil, he added.
Humala made the comments following a meeting on Thursday with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in that country’s capital, Brasilia. The stop over in Brazil is part of Humala’s tour throughout South America to meet with authorities.
Rousseff advisor on international affairs, Marco Aurelio, said that the Brazilian president proposed greater police and military presence on that country’s borders to provide better cooperation on combating drug, arms and human smuggling.
During the campaign, Humala looked to Brazil as a model that could maintain the country’s economic growth while being more socially inclusive. Humala’s more moderate discourse was key to attracting centrists that were skeptical of his opponent, 36-year-old Congresswoman Keiko Fujimori.
In Brasilia, Humala said “Brazil is a successful model that has achieved growth with macro economic stability and social inclusion.” However, he said that Peru would need to find its own path for inclusion and economic growth.
“The Peruvian reality is distinct from the Brazilian reality,” he said.
Humala will meet with Rousseff’s predecessor, Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, on Friday before continuing his tour to Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile.
Humala will assume office on July 28.
