The ultra-right president admitted the failure to accelerate the reduction of the Common External Tariff in a generalized way to allow a greater importation of products from outside the block.
“We regret that we have not been able to reach an agreement on this issue this semester, despite the efforts made by Brazil and accepting a lower reduction than we initially wanted; the issue will continue to be a priority on our agenda,” he said.
The Government of Brazil encountered resistance from Argentina in reducing import tariffs in a general way, in order to protect productive sectors with higher added value and heavy industry.
Bolsonaro defended the idea that “Mercosur needs to be modernized” and said that it must be an instrument of “progress and freedom” for the peoples.
In line with this view, the President of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, assured that his country bets on the regional bloc but also “on the world.”
“The world is eager to look at this region and we, as Uruguay and as Mercosur, continue to bet firmly and very optimistically on that opening to the world,” he said.
Lacalle Pou highlighted the honesty among the members of each nation. It should be remembered that since his inauguration in March 2020, the Uruguayan representative has insisted on making Mercosur more flexible so that each of its members can make extra-bloc bilateral agreements.
To its turn, Alberto Fernández assured that Mercosur is the “most important regional integration project for Argentina,” and urged his peers in the region to “debate with loyalty and frankness.”.
In his speech, which he delivered from the Olivos Residence, the president said “there is no future for hermit countries that withdraw into themselves or undertake adventures in solitude” and called to “continue partnering in terms of infrastructure, connectivity, energy and intelligence. commercial”. In this sense, he called on his partners to “debate without fear” and thus overcome “different political signs, or ideological differences.”
The Paraguayan Abdo Benítez anticipated that during his pro tempore presidency he will promote the revision of the external common tariff.
“We are going to develop a dynamic, proactive agenda, we will give priority to the process of reviewing the common external tariff in which we have reached an important rapprochement,” Abdo was quoted as saying by the Sputnik news agency.
“We will give impetus to road and river interconnection projects, improvement of border infrastructure, during January we will meet with President Bolsonaro, I take the opportunity to tell the other presiding counterparts, for the launch of the oceanic corridor, with an eye on in Asia, which implies one of the most genuine expressions of physical integration, “he said.
The members of Mercosur are Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil and Venezuela, which is suspended. The meeting was also attended by presidents of block partners, such as Sebastián Piñera, from Chile.
Source From: Ambito
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