By Faten Omar
KUWAIT: Ambassador of Peru Carlos Velasco revealed the embassy presented a proposal to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait to negotiate an agreement on visa-free travel for Kuwaiti citizens to Peru. "We believe we can start the procedures and hopefully approve this in the short term,” he said.
During a lunch event with local media, the ambassador said his country is also trying to arrange a meeting with the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources to develop agriculture in Kuwait. "Peru is known for its fruits and vegetables, and we would like to improve the process in Kuwait to help in food security. I spoke to the authority to have a meeting to develop sustainable assistance to develop crop production. We will have a meeting soon, as they were very interested. We want to share our experience, especially since Peru also has such a similar climate and we grow crops in the desert,” Velasco said.
"Trade between the two countries should improve, although many products from Peru are already in the Kuwaiti market,” he added. The ambassador revealed that last year, 200 visas were issued for tourism to Kuwaiti citizens. "The visa will be issued in 24 hours or a maximum of 72 hours. We also proposed an airport services
association (ASA) agreement for direct flights between Kuwait and Peru.”
The wealth of its land and cultural diversity give Peru an exquisite and tremendously varied gastronomy. According to Velasco, Peru is considered as one of the world’s top gastronomic countries. "Peru’s best restaurants are among the top 10 in annual rankings of the 50 best restaurants in the world. We have 13 Peruvian restaurants in Dubai in the UAE, three in Doha, Qatar and one is going to open in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Hopefully, we will introduce Peruvian food in Kuwait,” he said.
As for tourism, Peru is one of the world’s most varied countries. It is a multicultural nation, filled with traditions, a unique cuisine and vast natural reserves. It is home to 12 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and 84 of the planet’s 117 life zones. The latest trend reveals that biodiversity in Peru is increasing, with the numbers of species of wild flora and fauna having risen and currently totaling 20,585 and 5