South American countries called yesterday to deepen the integration of peoples through the mechanisms offered by the Southern Common Market (Mercosur).
The Argentine Foreign Minister, Santiago Cafiero, inaugurated this Thursday the Mercosur Social Summit, which was held in virtual format, with the participation of foreign ministers and representatives of civil organizations and social movements, to enrich the political and community agenda within the framework of the pro tempore presidency (PPT) of Mercosur, which Argentina holds during the first semester of 2023.
Cafiero highlighted the relaunch of the Social Summit “after a long interruption since 2016” and underlined the participation of the civil society of the States parties of the bloc (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay), as well as those in the process of accession and associates, such as Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Suriname.
“This meeting takes up again the interaction of the peoples for the strengthening of social participation as an indispensable component of regional integration,” added the head of Argentine diplomacy, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry.
The conclusions of Thursday’s debate will be delivered to the presidents who will participate in the Summit of Heads of State next July 4 in the Argentine city of Puerto Iguazú (northeast).
For his part, the Paraguayan Foreign Minister, Julio César Arriola Ramírez, affirmed that his country considers that “Mercosur needs all the actors, including civil society. Only in this way will we be able to continue advancing towards an open, plural, democratic and dynamic Mercosur”.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay, Francisco Bustillo, congratulated the Argentine PPT “for such a broad convocation”, and added that “Mercosur seeks, together with the economic-commercial, political and social aspects, solutions to the daily problems of its inhabitants, hence the importance of the launching of the Mercosur Social Summit in 2006”.
“From then on, these summits have materialized the commitment of our States to channel social participation”, highlighted Bustillo.
Within this framework, diplomat María Laura da Rocha, acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, emphasized that the initiatives of this social summit will be continued at the PPT in Brazil during the second half of the year.
“Mercosur has a strong social and citizen dimension based on human and cultural ties. The agreements in force and the dynamism of the bloc’s social agenda represent a conquest of our governments and societies. They are a priority for the Brazilian government”, added the diplomat.
Álvaro Leyva Durán, Colombian Foreign Minister, said, “This summit is a clear demonstration of the integrationist spirit of our peoples”.
“We are especially pleased that there is a space in the agenda of this summit for society to discuss memory, truth, and justice, an absolutely fundamental issue for our country, which is walking firmly towards a true total peace, which cannot happen without society”, added the Colombian official.
The Argentine Foreign Ministry explained that the Mercosur Social Summit was attended by organizations and social movements that addressed issues such as Sustainable Development and Food Security; Memory, Truth and Justice; Work and Social and Solidarity Economy; Health, Science and Technology; Culture, Education and Communication; and Regional Integration, among other topics.
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