Lima to host the third summit of heads of of state & government of South American & Arab Countries – ASPA press release/Non-UN document

THIRD SUMMIT OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT OF SOUTH AMERICAN – ARAB COUNTRIES

Lima, September 30 – October 2, 2012

Arabic text: http://www.aspa3.com/index.php?lang=ar

On October 1 and 2, Lima will host the III Summit of Heads of State and Government of South American and Arab Countries — ASPA — as well as the meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs. At the sidelines of these encounters there will be an Arab-South American Business Forum and other important cultural events.

From the very roots of their colonial history, the South American countries share many cultural features with the millennial Arab civilization, conveyed to them through the Iberian culture of the XV century. The geographic distance and historical ups and downs separated their countries during the formative period of their respective Nation States. But nowadays their paths converge, as both regions share the same interest for social and economic development, for the preservation of the environment, and for an intercultural dialogue, as ways and means to attain sustainable development and to consolidate world peace, to which both regions aspire.

Also, in the last decades both regions registered economic and technical progress that can be enriched through the enhancement of reciprocal flows of trade, technical cooperation and investment in key sectors, such as water resources, agriculture and food, energy, transportation, telecommunications and tourism infrastructure.

In the political realm, some ASPA members need solidarity and support to consolidate the processes of reconstruction and democratic reforms in which they are engaged. The III ASPA Summit is the ideal forum for their Arab and South American partners to express that support and to materialize it through South-South Cooperation mechanisms.

For these reasons, Peru warmly welcomes the Heads of State and Government that honor the country with their visit, as well as all the representatives of South America and the Arab Countries that will attend the III Summit and its associated activities. The Summit will be a huge celebration, with the attendance of many among the most influential personalities and institutions in the political, economic, business, and cultural spheres of both regions.

We wish success, prosperity and peace to the actors of this Summit and to their peoples, as a new decade begins under the auspices of this brotherly and enriching dialogue of civilizations.