Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Tuesday that his Peruvian counterpart, Ollanta Humala, will be visiting Venezuela in 2012, daily El Comercio reported.
Chavez said Humala is expected to visit early next year, although he did not provide an exact date, El Comercio said.
Humala had planned to travel to Venezuela earlier this month for the first conference of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, or Celac, an organization established by Venezuela aimed at countering the Washington D.C.-based Organization of American States. However, Humala cancelled his travel plans due to social conflicts in Cajamarca and Andahuaylas.
Humala, a 49-year-old former army officer, has had close ties with Chavez since at least his first presidential campaign in 2006. However, Humala distanced himself from the Venezuelan ruler and his firebrand rhetoric last year as he sought to attract broader support in Peru. During the recent presidential campaign he attracted moderate voters by pledging to promote private investments and swearing on a bible that he would not seek to rewrite Peru’s Constitution.
Chavez also said on Tuesday that he expects a visit from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran in early 2012.
