Embassy, July 19th, 2006

Pérez Returns to Paris After One Year in Ottawa

By Brian Adeba

A year after being posted to Ottawa, Venezuelan Ambassador Jesús Arnaldo Pérez is leaving for a new assignment in Paris where he will head his country's mission. It will be his second time serving as ambassador in the French capital when he takes over duties next month. Mr. Pérez was Venezuela's representative in Paris from 2003-2004.

One year may be a short time, but Mr. Pérez is confident that during his short stint in Ottawa, he has been able to improve ties between Venezuela and Canada.

"One big aspect of our relationship is the mutual respect between the two countries," he says, speaking through an interpreter. He adds that it would also be beneficial to both countries if there are frank discussions regarding the relationship.

In terms of bolstering the current ties between Canada and Venezuela, Mr. Pérez calls for a high level exchange of representatives from both countries. He also says consultative committees from both countries should be formed to discuss issues of importance to the bilateral relationship. While such a committee currently exists, with a mandate to meet every two years, it hasn't done so since 2000, he says. In addition, Mr. Pérez calls for the creation of another committee to focus on political issues between both countries. He also calls for the formation of an inter-parliamentary association for legislators from both countries.

"There are many coincidences in interests," he says.

"We could be fighting poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals –Canada has the money and Venezuela has energy resources."

In France, Mr. Pérez intends to focus on increasing ties, mainly in the cultural sector, with the La Francophonie countries.

Mr. Pérez, who did his doctoral studies in geography at a French university, has worked as a researcher, lecturer and environmental conservationist, and also in the oil industry, prior to becoming a diplomat. When Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez came to power in the late 1990s, Mr. Pérez, who at the time was working in the Ministry of Environment, was promoted to the position of minister in the same ministry.

After that he served as ambassador to Algeria and France before being appointed his country's minister of foreign affairs, just before coming to Ottawa.

One of his regrets about leaving so soon is that he's going to miss seeing the whole country.

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