Arequipa, August 21th, 2019. As a result of the events occurred in the past few weeks in Arequipa, several guilds and institutions have raised their voice of rejection in light of the conflicts and have expressed their concern that this situation affects the significant positioning of Arequipa as a center for major business and academic events in Peru.
Participating in a press conference organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Arequipa, was the chairmanship of the Organizing Committee of PERUMIN 34 Mining Convention, the Industrial Park of Arequipa Associations (ADEPIA), the National Society of Industries based in Arequipa (NSI), Arequipa Regional Innovation Month (ARIM), the Association of Hotels and Restaurants of Arequipa (AHORA), the Conventions Bureau of Arequipa, the National University of San Agustín of Arequipa (UNSA), the San Pablo Catholic University (UCSP), and the La Salle University of Arequipa.
The chairwoman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Arequipa, Jessica Rodríguez, noted the importance of Arequipa as a venue for meetings not only of a business nature but also academics.
“Arequipa, in recent years, has been growing at rates above the national average and ranks in second place in the competitiveness index. The poverty gap has been reduced to 11% and this is largely due to the attraction of investments in key sectors for the development of the region” she said.
“PERUMIN 34 will generate a great benefit for tourism, hotels, restaurants, taxi drivers and merchants. In order to achieve this positioning of our city it is important to allure them and not drive them away. Violent actions and blockings should be avoided. The image of our city is being irreparably damaged, and we will not allow it. We have important upcoming events in Arequipa, thus, we must position and strengthen it, achieve national and international visibility as a business and opportunity destination” Rodríguez added.
This event is not just for miners
On the other hand, the president of the Organizing Committee of PERUMIN 34 Mining Convention, Carlos Gálvez, said that, despite the situation, the event will begin on September 16th at the Cerro Juli Convention Center.
“Traditionally, PERUMIN has been an event of miners for miners, but we are convinced that we must use our country's potential to become opportunities for knowledge development. Therefore, we want to have the academia and youth involved. However, the latest unfortunate events have alarmed the participating countries in PERUMIN. We are concerned that Arequipa would be banned for international conventions in the future. We are sure that we will have the support of the government and the people of Arequipa, which has always been very welcoming of these events such as PERUMIN” he said.
On the other hand, Galvez said that the regional governor has been cordially invited. "Particularly, we have asked for two hearings to invite him and finally we have also invited him in writing to participate in a table on regional infrastructure development with specialists of the highest level" he added.
He also reminded that PERUMIN 34 will have a modern convention center to receive more than 60,000 attendees, including business leaders, investors, authorities, public officials, professionals, students and the public in general, from more than 40 countries. In addition, the EXTEMIN fair will have the participation of more than 800 national and international institutions and companies distributed in 1,400 stands, all this will have a positive impact on the economy of Arequipa.
Finally, the principal of the Santa María Catholic University, Dr. Manuel Briceño, indicated that “we care about the development of Arequipa and this event, PERUMIN 34, which has cost our authorities so much; it must stay in our city and should be carried out in the best way now and in the future”.
