Trump’s Mexico Wall: Peru's President Says He Prefers Free Movement Across Borders

Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, the first Latin-American leader to visit President Donald Trump at the White House, told the latter Friday that he prefers "bridges to walls" and favors the free movement of people across borders, hinting at Trump's proposal to build a wall along the border with Mexico.

However, Kuczynski did not comment directly on Trump's border wall proposal in a press conference following the meeting.

"I don't want to get into the wall," said Kuczynski, a former Wall Street investment banker. "We're interested in the free movement of people ... I emphasized that to President Trump and we prefer bridges to walls," Reuters reported.

Kuczynski, 78, described his meeting with the U.S. president as "cordial and constructive" and said he told Trump he was interested in the free legal movement of people and that they also talked about trade and economic development.

Kuczynski joked, during the U.S. presidential campaign, that he would cut diplomatic relations with the U.S. "with a saw" if Trump decided to follow through on his pledge to build a wall with Mexico, which he compared to the Berlin Wall, according to the Associated Press.

Leaders of other countries including staunch critics of the U.S. like Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro have avoided commenting on the border wall issue and also taking Mexico's side because they feared that their own relations with the Trump administration would be hampered by that.

Kuczynski declined U.S. citizenship to run for Peru's presidency, he speaks English quite well and he has been a successful businessman with significant influence in the power circles of New York, where he has lived and worked for years.

In the Oval Office, before their meeting, Trump made remarks about how they both have known each other for sometime and that it was an honor to welcome him to Washington, the AP reported. "Peru has been a fantastic neighbor," Trump said. "We've had great relationships, better now than ever before."

Trump also announced authorization of the sale of U.S. military vehicles to Peru. However, Kuczynski said his priority was to provide Peruvians with clean water and then they could think of purchasing military weapons.

While discussing migration, Kuczynski told Trump that of the 1 million Peruvians residing in the U.S., only 70 are in jail, and that 200,000 of the total Peruvians in the U.S. are there illegally.

"Peru has not exported criminals to the United States," Kuczynski said. "They're nurses, they're doctors, they're all sorts of people."

Before the bilateral meeting, both the presidents commented on their relationship and the purpose of the Peruvian president's visit to the U.S.

According to a White House statement, Trump said: "It’s a great honor to have President Kuczynski with us from Peru. Peru has been a fantastic neighbor. We’ve had great relationships — better now than ever before. And I have known him for quite a while through reading about the work that he’s done, and I believe he’s here to get an award at Princeton. An award for what? Explain, please."

To that, the Peruvian president replied: "For being an alumnus who did okay, I guess," and he laughed.