helped participating countries reach important initial consensuses.
These are aimed at strengthening regional cooperation in the face of common threats such as transnational organized crime, cyber threats, and natural disasters.
Following the conclusion of the conference’s plenary session, held in the southeastern city of Cusco, the government official reported that the gathering brought together 38 delegations from across the hemisphere.
These included 18 defense ministers and deputy ministers, as well as representatives of participating countries, European observers, and international organizations.
“We have to work together, interacting, exchanging information, sharing intelligence and data, conducting joint exercises, and carrying out various actions that will allow us to better confront these phenomena and achieve results for the benefit of our population,” Minister Flores stated.
The Executive Branch representative also explained that one of the main challenges addressed during the conference is related to strengthening intelligence capabilities to confront cross-border threats.
In that regard, the Cabinet member underscored that each country has been contributing according to its own capabilities to improve cooperation mechanisms and joint response efforts.
“Intelligence is a highly complex area. It is not based solely on providing information; it also involves having human capital in the areas where threats are emerging, as well as the ability to gather that information and technological intelligence, which is also quite costly,” he said.
In turn, Deputy Defense Policy Minister Walter Chavez highlighted the turnout achieved at this edition, which surpassed that of previous CMDA meetings.
“We have achieved the participation of a large number of defense ministers, deputy ministers, and delegates, which is above that of previous editions,” he indicated, highlighting Peru’s role as host country.
Meanwhile, the Director General of International Relations at the Defense Ministry, Cesar Antonio Vasallo, noted that Peru has been fulfilling the objectives set during its pro-tempore presidency of the conference.
He highlighted the work carried out by the technical groups, which will make it possible to present recommendations and resolutions at the close of the meeting.
Following these activities, the authorities and participants took a recess before resuming the working session in the established groups to address the issues raised during the plenary and later issue their conclusions.
??? XVII CMDA fortalece la respuesta frente a amenazas comunes ??
El ministro de Defensa, Amadeo Javier Flores Carcagno, destacó que la XVII CMDA fortaleció la cooperación entre los países del hemisferio frente al crimen organizado, las ciberamenazas y los desastres naturales. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/DVAh8Nh46N
— Mindef Perú (@MindefPeru) July 8, 2026
