Foreign ministers from Mercosur countries and Bolivia met in Asunción, marking the first such meeting under Paraguay’s temporary leadership.
Attendees included Argentina’s Diana Elena Mondino, Brazil’s Mauro Vieira, Paraguay’s Rubén Ramírez Lezcano, Uruguay’s Omar Paganini, and Bolivia’s Celinda Sosa.
Later, these diplomats also met with Paraguay’s President, Santiago Peña, at the Government Palace.
The ministers decided to give priority to finishing ongoing discussions with the European Union.
They aim to sign a fair deal soon. They also agreed to focus on speeding up talks with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) to conclude the Mercosur Trade Agreement quickly.
Additionally, the current leadership stressed the importance of advancing talks with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
An official statement released after the meeting covered Mercosur’s current and future state. It discussed both the internal growth of the bloc and its external relationships.
In March, a major seminar will take place to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the Treaty of Asunción.
This event will explore the future direction of the regional group.
Paraguay, now leading the group, will promote stronger integration, development of physical connections, and external trade negotiations to benefit the bloc.
The ministers also committed to providing technical support for Bolivia’s inclusion in Mercosur.
This support will follow the guidelines of the Adhesion Protocol and related rules.
Finally, they highlighted the role of logistics and multimodal transportation in boosting the bloc’s foreign trade efficiency.
In this context, they noted the significance of the Santa Cruz de la Sierra Agreement, which recognizes the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway as a central regional growth and integration element.