With proposals for renewal and opening up new free trade agreements with the whole world, President Jair Bolsonaro and the other presidents of the countries that make up Mercosur and associated nations hold today (17), in Santa Fé, Argentina, the 54th. Summit of Heads of State of the South American bloc, with the aim of consolidating the institution's new directions.
Today, during the Mercosur summit, Argentine president Maurício Macri will hand over the post of president pro tempore (rotating position) of Mercosur to Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro. The pro empore presidency of Mercosur is a position held for six months by a head of state from one of the member countries.
In a preparatory session for the summit of heads of state, the foreign ministers of Mercosur and guest countries met yesterday (16), in the same Argentine city, to put the finishing touches on the new dynamics of the South American bloc. . “We are doing very ambitious things”, said Chancellor Ernesto Araújo, in a reference to the recent agreement reached with the European Union and the agreements planned for this year with the EFTA (group of countries formed by Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) and Canada and next year with the Republic of Korea.
“Our proposal is to consolidate this new Mercosur. We are renewing [the block] largely based on Brazilian proposals,” said Araújo. “And also create very specific advances that will make a difference in the lives of other people”, he added, citing the agreement approved yesterday that removes the charge of extra fees for those who use their cell phones via the roaming system when traveling within Mercosur. “This makes a huge reduction in costs, facilitating business, including making life easier for tourists, everyone who travels to other countries”, said the Brazilian chancellor. The elimination of roaming charges in Mercosur, however, depends on the approval of the National Congress of each country.
When talking about future agreements to be signed by Mercosur, Ernesto Araújo said that the Brazilian government's expectation is “to achieve good agreements for Brazil and other [Mercosur] countries in international trade”.
The summit of Mercosur Heads of State will take place at the Estação Belgrano Convention Center, in Santa Fé. In addition to presidents Jair Bolsonaro and Maurício Macri, the presidents of Uruguay, Tabaré Vázquez, and Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benítez, will also be present. Presidents of two associated states will also be present: from Chile, Sebastián Piñera, and from Bolivia, Evo Morales.
Venezuela
Argentine Chancellor Jorge Faurie said yesterday (16), after the meeting of Mercosur foreign ministers, that Venezuela will be able to reintegrate into the bloc “at the moment it fully recovers its democracy”. He stated, however, that this will take “a very long time”.
Pacific countries
The Secretary of Economic Relations of the Argentine Foreign Ministry, Horacio Reyser, said that Mercosur's intention is to establish a strategic rapprochement with the Pacific Alliance. The Pacific Alliance is a Latin American trading bloc formally created in 2012, in Chile. The founding members were Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. Costa Rica joined the group in 2013.
“We [Argentines] already have free trade with three of the four Pacific Alliance countries: Chile, Colombia and Peru.” According to him, all that is missing is free trade with Mexico.
*With information from the Argentine agency Télam.
Post: Marina Carvejani
Author: Brazil Agency
Source: Agricultural News
