Peru's president-elect signals move to restore diplomatic ties with Mexico
Peru's president-elect Keiko Fujimori has said she wants to restore diplomatic relations with Mexico, raising the prospect of an end to a months-long rupture between the two countries. She made the remarks in Lima after winning Peru's presidential runoff on June 7. Fujimori said there would be "every intention" on her part to rebuild ties.
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The dispute dates back to November, when Peru broke off relations after Mexico granted political asylum to former Peruvian prime minister Betssy Chavez. Chavez had served in the administration of former president Pedro Castillo and later became one of the central figures in the fallout from his failed attempt to dissolve Congress in December 2022. Peru has accused Mexico of interfering in its internal affairs through asylum decisions involving Castillo's allies.
Castillo was removed from office after his televised announcement that he would dissolve Congress and rule by decree, a move that triggered resignations from much of his cabinet and led lawmakers to proceed with impeachment. Prosecutors later accused him of treason and rebellion, and he was sentenced last November to more than 11 years in prison. Mexico has said Castillo had planned to seek asylum at its embassy in Lima before his arrest, and it granted asylum to his family shortly afterwards.
The row has also centred on Chavez, who resigned during the events surrounding Castillo's attempted power grab. After she sought asylum at the Mexican embassy, a Peruvian court issued a warrant for her arrest and she was later sentenced to roughly 11 years in prison. Peru described Mexico's decision to grant her asylum as an "unfriendly act" and declared Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum persona non grata, barring her from entering the country.
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Mexico rejected Peru's accusations and said the break in relations was "excessive and disproportionate". It has maintained that granting asylum to Chavez was consistent with its position on political protection. The disagreement has therefore become part of a wider diplomatic fallout from Castillo's removal, prosecution and imprisonment, with both governments taking sharply different views of the events.
Fujimori's comments suggest a possible thaw, but it is not yet clear how quickly any restoration of ties could happen or what conditions, if any, would be attached. The immediate next step will depend on whether both sides are willing to move beyond the asylum dispute and the broader legacy of the 2022 crisis. For now, the statement marks the clearest sign yet that Peru's incoming leadership may seek to reset the relationship.
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