Mercosur is open to agreements with other blocs and countries, says Peña

After signing, on Saturday (17), a free trade agreement with the 27 member countries of the European Union (EU), the nations that make up Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia, which is completing its accession process) are already targeting other markets.

“Our work in the [South American bloc’s trade] integration process is just beginning,” Paraguayan President Santiago Peña told reporters after the signing ceremony of the Mercosur-EU agreement this afternoon in the Paraguayan capital, Asunción.

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Host of the event as temporary president of Mercosur, Peña explained that the ongoing negotiations with the Arab Emirates are “moving forward” and that the Asian markets are considered strategic for the expansion of Mercosur’s network of trade partners.

“We are making progress on the free trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates and we are looking very closely at Japan, South Korea and other Asian countries, as well as China, a strategic partner for all Latin American nations and Mercosur,” said Peña, also mentioning Indonesia and Vietnam.

“We are also making progress on an economic complementation agreement with Canada, so there is no doubt that the Mercosur countries are convinced that economic integration, collaboration and multilateralism is the way forward,” added the Paraguayan president.