RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, who hopes to conclude this year the entry of his country into the Pacific Alliance, said Wednesday that the Andean nation is a “natural partner” of the bloc and that his goal is to “successfully complete in the shortest possible time” the negotiations of incorporation.
During his speech at the XVI Summit of the Alliance, held in Bahía Málaga, in the Colombian Pacific, Lasso considered that his presence in this space “means a true gesture of brotherhood towards Ecuador”.
In addition, he took the opportunity to “directly express Ecuador’s interest in being part of the Pacific Alliance and successfully complete the bilateral negotiations” with the intention that his country joins first as an associate member and then as a full member “of this important integration mechanism”.
“Ecuador is a natural partner of the Alliance because of its strategic geographic location and our affinities in the economic, social, and cultural fields,” the Ecuadorian president continued.
He also indicated that his government is promoting policies and actions “to modernize and open” its economy to the world, since “from day one”, its motto has been “more Ecuador in the world, and more world in Ecuador”, which means “fostering ties with our relevant partners, including the Alliance”.
Lasso insisted on “the advantages of a healthy, balanced and mutually beneficial trade relationship” to ask his counterparts for “political support to finish the negotiation process as soon as possible”.
To join Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru as a full member of the Alliance, it is necessary to have trade agreements with each of these countries, and Ecuador only needs to sign one with Mexico, a process at an advanced stage.
For this reason, Lasso thanked his Mexican counterpart, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, for his commitment, which has made it possible to have a pre-agreement on trade with Mexico, the last link necessary for Ecuador’s definitive incorporation into the bloc.
“We hope that in March, we will be able to announce the end of this negotiation,” he said.
In addition to Lasso, the presidents of Colombia, Iván Duque; Chile, Sebastián Piñera; and Peru, Pedro Castillo, are attending today’s summit.
The summit, the first of the Pacific Alliance to be held in person since 2019 due to the pandemic, also has the participation of Mexico’s Secretary of Finance, Rogelio Eduardo Ramirez, and, virtually, the Prime Minister of Singapore, a country that today signed its accession as an Associated State.
With information from EFE