Diplomatic ties between Mexico and Peru have been in continuous tension since Dina Boluarte assumed power a year and a half ago. Relations were reduced to chargé d'affaires after several disagreements between Boluarte and his counterpart, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has resisted recognizing his presidential investiture and delayed handing over the pro tempore presidency of the Pacific Alliance until he could.
Last Friday, Mexico announced a temporary measure that angered the Peruvian Government: establish a visa requirement for all Andean citizens who wish to travel to Aztec lands, a requirement that had been eliminated in November 2012. The main foundation of the Government: the exponential increase in irregular migratory flows of those whose final destination is the north of the continent, that is, the United States. “The objective is to protect the safety and well-being of those who are in a situation of human mobility, as well as to collaborate in the fight against human trafficking networks,” the statement explains.
The response from the Peruvian Foreign Ministry was immediate: the next day, with the principle of reciprocity as a justification, they announced that they would also request visas from Mexicans who plan to visit Peru. “We regret this decision by Mexico that undermines efforts to improve bilateral relations and affects the programmatic commitments assumed in the Pacific Alliance to facilitate the free movement of people between both countries,” the letter says. The supreme decree would be published shortly and the requirement would come into effect from April 23.
Unlike neighboring countries, the ministry headed by Javier González-Olaechea had not presented compelling reasons and it seemed to be a drastic reaction rather than a considered decision. According to an article by political scientist Will Freeman, published in Americas Quarterly, Mexican authorities detained almost 144,000 Peruvians who tried to cross the borders irregularly between 2021 and 2023. Recently, an emigration phenomenon has been unleashed: in 2022 More than 400,000 Peruvians left the country without returning and in the first quarter of 2023 alone, another 400,000 followed in their footsteps.
Many specialists criticized the reaction of the Executive. “You can be a little more strategic to think about what is best for the country and not simply enter into this dynamic of you hit me and I hit you, which in foreign policy is not always the best path,” the president told him. internationalist Óscar Vidarte to the research portal Epicentro TV. The consensus of the public debate indicated that if diplomacy is the art of building and maintaining successful relationships and negotiations, this had not been the case. Communication had been absent.
A compelling fact: Mexico was the ninth country that contributed the most tourists to Peru in 2023, around 76,300 visitors, according to the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism. Before the pandemic, those figures were around 130,000 tourists. This is not a minor matter. Apparently in Torre Tagle they have only recently realized this: this Wednesday, just two days after the publication of the supreme decree, the Peruvian Government reversed course and announced that it will no longer require a visa from its northern neighbors.
“This action responds to the call of various voices from the tourism and related sectors, and honors our commitment to the principles of the Pacific Alliance, which proclaim the free mobility of people between its member states. Likewise, it reaffirms our spirit in favor of regional integration and the ties of friendship and cooperation with the Mexican people,” says the Foreign Ministry document.
Given this change of opinion, a question arises: was it with the intention that Mexico also take a step back or was the impact of the measure basically better analyzed? The truth is that starting Saturday, April 20, Peruvians who plan to visit Mexico must have a visa. The procedure will cost $53 and priority will be given to those who already had their tickets purchased. Those who have a valid visa or residence card for any country that belongs to the Schengen area will not need a visa.
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