On Thursday, Assistant United States Trade Representative for the Western Hemisphere John Melle co-chaired the third meeting of the Free Trade Commission, established under the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement. The Peruvian delegation was led by Diego Urbina, Director for North America and Europe for the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (MINCETUR). The Free Trade Commission is responsible for overseeing implementation and operation of the U.S.-Peru trade agreement, and is the principal vehicle for addressing formally matters that arise under the bilateral agreement.
Officials from the United States and Peru discussed a variety of issues, including the work of environmental, intellectual property and other committees, pending implementation issues, and cooperation in other fora and negotiations, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The officials agreed to intensify work to ensure the effective implementation of and compliance with the trade in goods and services, labor, and environment obligations of the Agreement, and to ensure that the benefits of the Agreement are widely shared and accessible to both countries.
February 1, 2013 marked the four-year anniversary of the U.S.-Peru trade agreement. Last year, goods trade between the United States and Peru was $15.8 billion (two-way), and the outlook for growth is positive. In the past three years, U.S. exports to Peru have risen by 90 percent, bringing home benefits to U.S. workers, farmers and manufacturers.
The two parties issued a joint communiqué following their meeting, which can be found here.
