Ottawa, Ontario - 10 April 2014
Prime Minister Stephen Harper together with His Excellency Ollanta Humala Tasso, President of the Republic of Peru, today announced two initiatives that will bolster defence and security relations between Canada and Peru. The announcement was made during President Humala’s State Visit to Canada from April 8 to 11, 2014.
More specifically, the leaders announced that Peru’s membership status within Canada’s Military Training and Cooperation Program (MTCP) has been upgraded to Category “A”, effective immediately. As a Category “A” member country of the MTCP, Peru will gain access to the full spectrum of the program's training activities, including opportunities to participate in courses offered to senior officers at the CanadianStaffCollege in Toronto.
Prime Minister Harper and President Humala also announced that Canada and Peru will work together to strengthen international efforts to combat the illicit trafficking of nuclear and radiological materials. This cooperation project, which will enhance Peru’s capacity to detect and deter the transfer of nuclear and radiological materials, will be supported by funds that Prime Minister Harper committed towards fighting nuclear terrorism at the March 2014 Nuclear Security Summit.
Today’s announcements are consistent with Canada’s commitment to work with partners to strengthen defence, security and institutions in the region, as part of its Strategy for Engagement in the Americas.
