This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The ambassador to the United States for Peru, Harold W. Forsyth, is beginning a four-day visit to Utah today.
His visit is being sponsored by Brigham Young University, the Governor's Office of Economic Development, the Salt Lake Chamber and the World Trade Center of Utah.
Forsyth, who is being accompanied by his wife Maria Veronica Sommer Mayer, will be meeting with Utah Gov. Gary Herbert and LDS Church officials. He will visit Weber State University and lecture at BYU and the University of Utah.
"It is truly an honor and privilege to have the ambassador in our state," said David Utrilla, Honorary Consul of Peru in Utah. "Not only will we be able to display the vibrant Peruvian community in Utah, but also provide business, humanitarian groups and education institutions working in Peru valuable opportunities to strengthen ties and continue their efforts."
Forsyth is also slated to meet with Mark Compton, president of the Utah Mining Association.
Mining partnership between Utah and Peru have increased dramatically over the past five years with Utah's imports of Peruvian gold increasing six fold by weight between 2008 and 2011. Once processed and exported, that gold accounted for 62 percent of the state's total exports in 2011.