On Thursday, July 21, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro assured the world is living a challenging moment. Therefore, more trade and investments are needed to overcome the adversities caused by COVID-19 and the crisis in Ukraine.
In his speech during the 60th Summit of Mercosur Heads of State, via video, Bolsonaro assured that Brazil has acted so that the South American bloc, formed by Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, has “an important role in facing the current external shocks”.
“Brazil has acted so that Mercosur has an important role in facing the current external shocks. For this reason, we defend the reduction of the Common External Tariff, which will contribute to the fight against regional inflation,” said Bolsonaro.
According to the Brazilian president, his country has prioritized negotiations with major Mercosur and regional trade partners.
“Our regional environment is a priority, even more so in the current scenario. We need to continue expanding our trade and investment flows in Latin America and the Caribbean, strengthening regional value chains and reducing our external vulnerabilities to crises,” he added.
It was the last Mercosur summit in which Bolsonaro participated before the Brazilian presidential elections in October.
Bolsonaro congratulated Paraguay, which held the rotating presidency of Mercosur this semester, for the results obtained during the period.
With information from Xinhua