Professional diplomat Oscar Maurtua succeeds Hector Bejar as Peru's Foreign Minister

Oscar Maurtua was sworn in as Peru's new foreign minister on Friday. He succeeds Hector Bejar, who resigned just weeks after getting the job because of the contentious remarks he made before taking over the role. Maurtua previously served as foreign minister under centrist President Alejandro Toledo in the early 2000s, and will now work for Pedro Castillo, a former elementary school teacher, in his far-left administration. Maurtua has also held the positions of Peruvian ambassador in Canada and Thailand.

Maurtua's appointment is important for Castillo's political future

Castillo's political destiny is dependent on his appointment, as his Cabinet comes up for confirmation by the opposition-controlled Congress before the end of the month. During a ceremony at the government headquarters that was shown on state television, he was sworn in without further government remark.

Hector Bejar resigned under duress because the comments he made before joining the ministership surfaced in recent days. Last year, he claimed that the US Central Intelligence Agency played a role in the formation of the Maoist rebel group Shining Path.

Diplomatic history of Oscar Maurtua 

Maurtua began working as an administrative employee in the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Relations in 1965. In 1966, he served as the secretary to Dr Fernando Shcwalb López-Aldana and was President Fernando Belaunde Terry's personal representative at the Andean Community of Nations' founding meeting of Heads of State. 

He was the first student to enter Peru's Diplomatic Academy in 1967, graduating with a degree in International Relations. After supporting the concept "The Permanent Sovereignty of the State over its Wealth and Natural Resources," he joined the Diplomatic Service in 1969.

In 1970, he was named secretary at the US Embassy, and in 1976, he was chosen as the President of the Association of Commercial Counselors in Washington, DC. In 1977, he was named the Head of the Foreign Ministry's Department of International Economic Policy, and in 1979, he was named the Director of Economic Affairs and Deputy Director of the General Directorate of Planning. 

He was appointed as Counselor of the Peruvian Embassy in Belgium and before the European Economic Community in 1980. During the presidency of Fernando Belaúnde Terry, he served as Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic from 1980 to 1985. 

Image- @CancilleriaPeru/Twitter