Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Peruvian Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Mercedes Aráoz, said today that during the APEC Trade Ministers’ Meeting which begins tomorrow in Arequipa, Peru will suggests Asia-Pacific investors to follow principles of social responsibility.

“During the meetings we will discuss business and investment facilitation measures but with a sense of social responsibility. We will holds talks with the APEC business sector so companies will voluntary include some principles of social responsibility”, minister Aráoz said.

She mentioned that those principles should include environmental conservation and promote the protection of labor rights.

"In fact, we have some proposals which were discussed at the APEC Senior Officials Meetings (SOM II) and I think we will have good results at this meeting of trade ministers that are expected to be included in the final draft that APEC Leaders will sign in November," she said.

Aráoz also pointed out that the meeting will address proposals to speed up World Trade Organization’s Doha Round negotiations.

"The second theme to be discussed is the Peruvian proposal to analyze how to reach a consensus among APEC economies in order to sign a free trade agreement of the Asia Pacific," he added.

She added that proposals to be presented aim to facilitate trade in the Asia Pacific region and establish an action plan to continue lowering transaction costs for foreign trade.

Aráoz participated in the meeting between Peru’s president Alan García and the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Susan Schwab.

News source: ANDINA