Asunción, Agencia IP.- The toll charge in the waterway is still a matter of concern for the Paraguayan government and other regional countries. Because of this, there will be an essential meeting in Argentina on Tuesday to reach a solution. “We want to be a factor of integration, not division,” said President Santiago Peña.
Those were his statements on Monday during a press conference in Mburuvicha Róga. Peña announced that tomorrow, Tuesday, there will be a crucial meeting at the Brazilian Embassy in Argentina, since Brazil holds the Presidency of the group that manages the waterway.
“It will be a critical meeting. Among our representatives that will attend are from the Chancellery and the President of Ports, Julio César Vera Cáceres, who has a lot of experience in this matter”, claimed Peña.
“We want to be a factor of integration and not division; that is the reality. It is a topic that would seem to make us against Argentina, but we have the right to have different opinions. The most important thing is that we will find an institutional mechanism to solve the situation”, indicated the President.
He mentioned that, for one side, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia share a common vision. On the other side is Argentina’s posture favouring charging the toll. “We are convinced that we will reach an agreement”, he expressed.
Likewise, the Head of State reminded that the issue of the Argentinian debt with Yacyretá and the waterway are two different matters, even though it would seem that they are handled in a simultaneous relationship.
In that sense, he explained that Argentina is going through a complicated economic situation, so it cannot pay what it owes to Paraguay for energy consumption.
Ratify ties with the United States
In another moment, the President highlighted that during his brief interview with his counterpart from the United States, Joe Biden, they reaffirmed the historical bonds between both countries.
Peña also mentioned the meeting he maintained with Christopher Dodd, Special Assessor of Latin America of the President of the United States. “We ratify the commitment of working together on an agenda that is positive for both our countries”, he commented.
“We explained that our agenda is the fight against corruption, what we are doing with all the State Powers and the recurring meat issue. They know that Paraguay is waiting for the announcement of the reopening of Paraguayan meat for the United States”, he reported.
Regarding the conversation with the Subsecretary of State for Political Issues of the United States, Victoria Nuland highlighted that the relation between Paraguay and the Republic of China (Taiwan) has a strong foundation and, therefore, is not at risk.
“This is over a strong foundation of principles and values and a productive development model that aims for industrialization and an educational component. The agenda is extensive”, he stated.
In addition, the Head of State invited the United States government to collaborate and participate in the fight against corruption that Peña will promote, which he said caught Nuland’s attention.
Meeting with Bukele
Peña referred to his dialogue with the President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele. The Head of State said both nations are in syntony, as they are relatively small countries often absent in the international debate but are protagonists today.
“He has an agenda in a matter of security that is very intense, and I think that unites in some way, in a matter that Paraguay wants to improve. In that aspect, the contacts have been very favourable”, he finally claimed.