"Only by presenting a united front and through joint and coordinated work can we make a difference in the world. Thirty years of negotiation processes show that we cannot progress alone," and that "we can only grow by working with those around us," Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie stated at the closing session of the "Mercosur - Pacific Alliance Seminar: a positive agenda for integration."
"All Mercosur Members have understood from the very beginning that integration means benefits for our economies," Faurie explained, adding "now, we understand that integration in only one space is not enough; we have to be creative to join other spaces."
"Dialogue between Mercosur and the Pacific Alliance is being renewed by a political boost, and those who have committed the most to achieve convergence are their Presidents," he stressed.
The event, which took place at the Cerros Room of the Intercontinental Hotel in the city of Mendoza, within the framework of the Mercosur Summit, was attended by the Governor of Mendoza, Alfredo Cornejo; the Minister of Production, Francisco Cabrera; the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Daniel Raimondi; the Secretary for International Economic Relations, Horacio Reyser; the Director of the Institute for the Integration of Latin America and the Caribbean (INTAL) of the IDB, Gustavo Béliz; the Director of the ICBC Foundation, Félix Peña, and other authorities of both blocs, businesspeople, academics, experts and special guests.
Faurie stressed that all the integration tools at hand must be used to achieve concrete results. "Given their political, economic, commercial and demographic proportions, the countries of both blocs have not only the possibility but also the responsibility towards our peoples for boosting our integration, because more integration means a better life quality and more jobs."
The head of Argentina's diplomacy stated that "meetings like the one held today help us carry out the roadmap agreed on this year," which includes items on trade facilitation, single windows, customs cooperation, trade promotion and SMEs, and regional value chains, among others.
"We have now invited businesspeople to guide and help with the negotiation process, and we have to make each country's authorities work jointly," he stated.
Finally, the Foreign Minister underscored: "In December 2015 our country initiated a smart insertion process and on that path Mercosur is our mainstay. We have two big challenges lying ahead: the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference this December and the G20 in 2018." Faurie also stated that "we want to afford a regional vision to all of those events."
Tomorrow, at the Intercontinental Hotel, the Foreign Minister will chair the Ordinary Meeting of the Common Market Council, whose schedule includes the plenary meeting of Foreign Ministers of Mercosur Member States in the morning, to be joined in the afternoon by those of Associate States, Mexico and other guest countries.
Press release No. 288/17
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