Peruvian Congress evaluates request for entry of US military and weapons of war for APEC 2024

Military vehicles, planes, helicopters, weapons of war and 600 United States soldiers will be able to enter Peru in the coming days if the Peruvian Congress approves the request sent this week by the government of Dina Boluarte.

The reason? Guarantee the security of the delegation of the North American country during the celebration of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum, APEC 2024, which will take place in Lima in the coming days.

The week of November 10 to 16, Peru will host APEC, a forum made up of 21 Asia-Pacific economies where the presence of at least 14 leaders is expected at the event, including the president of China, Xi Jinping, who has confirmed its participation, according to the Peruvian government.

Although it is not yet clear whether US President Joe Biden will attend the event, everything should be ready if he does.

“In the case of foreign dignitaries, they enter with their security and to bring in weapons for the protection of the heads of state, in this case the leaders of APEC, they need authorization and must specify types of weapons, the quantity, number of troops, and that is absolutely normal,” he told Voice of America Ambassador Carlos Pareja, former director of protocol of the Peruvian Foreign Ministry and former ambassador of Peru to the United States.

“If those weapons and those troops did not enter with authorization then there would be something to worry about,” added the diplomat, with extensive experience in this type of events.

The authorization sent by the Boluarte government to Parliament for the entry of US soldiers and their equipment details that they will be deployed not only in Lima, but also in Pisco and Chiclayo, cities in the south and north of Peru, respectively, and that they will remain in the country for three weeks.

The 600 US soldiers who will enter Peru are part of the US Army, Air Force and Marine Corps. Two planes, four Blackhawk helicopters, rifles, machine guns, pistols, refueling trucks, military dogs and more are included in the authorization request.

“This is common practice… It has always been like this. Wherever the president of the United States goes, he mobilizes Air Force One, his two presidential planes, he mobilizes his presidential vehicles and a huge escort of 600 men,” said the commander general of the Peruvian Air Force, Carlos Chávez Cateriano to the local media Canal N. .

Peruvian congressmen have not yet set a date for the hearing of the request.

For the days in which APEC is held in Lima, different unions have announced several social mobilizations in protest against the increase in crime in the country.

Peru hosted other APEC meetings in 2008 and 2016 and for that last version the request for authorization of entry of US military personnel and their equipment was similar, according to documents to which the VOA.

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