Asunción, Agencia IP.- The President of the Republic, Santiago Peña, expressed his intention that Mercosur could advance in other trade negotiations with allies such as the United Arab Emirates and Singapore. With the latter, the agreement will be signed in Rio de Janeiro during the next summit of the regional bloc.
«We are already looking forward. I reiterated on several occasions the decision to concentrate our efforts in other areas,» declared Peña about the possibility of closing the trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur.
In that sense, he recalled that parallel to the agreement between the EU and Mercosur, the different countries are working on other alliances that translate into better opportunities for the bloc. He specified that Paraguay was entrusted with negotiating with Singapore, Argentina with the United Arab Emirates, and Brazil with the European Union.
«President Lula has made a superhuman effort, but the problem is that there is no interest on the other side,» he stated, alluding to the impediment to reaching an agreement with the Europeans.
He mentioned that of the three agreements on the table, the European Union, the United Arab Emirates, and Singapore, the last one is in the most advanced phase. He announced that the alliance with Singapore will be made official this Thursday during the Mercosur Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where Paraguay will assume the Pro-Tempore Presidency.
«Singapore was struck by the work we had been doing, the forestry potential, in the capture of credits, greenhouse gases through carbon credits and conversations began several months ago,» he explained this Monday in an interview with radio station 970 AM.
«This new path that we are leading is a new path from which we are all learning; a country that we would like to ally with is Singapore to play in the big leagues,» the Head of State pointed out.
The technical teams are working in the field of the forestry industry to understand the potential that could be exploited, prioritizing Paraguay’s development model, he alleged.
Leading conversations with the United Arab Emirates
Likewise, the President announced that he would request the bloc’s support to lead the negotiations with the United Arab Emirates and conclude them as soon as possible, taking into account the close rapprochement he maintains with the authorities of that country.
«I spoke with the President of the United Arab Emirates. I have made a commitment, and he has a firm commitment to move forward quickly and sign an agreement that will bring the Mercosur countries even closer to the United Arab Emirates in the next semester,» Peña commented.
The President of the Republic finally expressed his desire to advance towards a closer relationship with the United Arab Emirates in the coming years.