2024-07-10 08:14:33
At the opening of the Mercosur heads of state summit in the Paraguayan capital, Santiago Pena, who is ending his term as the rotating presidency of the regional bloc, reaffirmed his country’s commitment to the “fundamental values” of Mercosur, stressing that these principles focus on the promotion of “democracy, the rule of law, fundamental freedoms and openness to the world.”
The Asuncion summit, he added, “offers us the opportunity to bring Mercosur even closer to our populations”, whose expectations “must inspire the actions of our governments”.
The peoples of Mercosur “aspire to leaders with clear objectives. We must put aside speeches and act decisively,” the Paraguayan president pleaded.
Santiago Pena recalled that Mercosur has established itself, since its creation, as a “bold project (…), a promise of dignity for our respective countries.”
He acknowledged, however, that there was still much to be done for Mercosur to become a “successful example of integration” and that there was no other way than integration. “Either we integrate, or as peoples we disintegrate and fail,” he warned.
The beginning of the Asuncion summit was marked by the entry of Bolivia as a full member of Mercosur.
Santiago Pena handed over the rotating presidency of Mercosur to his Uruguayan counterpart, Luis Lacalle Pou, who reiterated his country’s desire to move forward in its quest for a free trade agreement with China, despite the reluctance of its partners within the grouping.
He said his country’s solitary approach is far from “capricious” and that “if there is no will on the part of the partners to move forward together, let’s move forward at different speeds” to make the rules within the grouping more flexible.
For his part, Brazilian President Lula da Silva was more optimistic about the future of the regional grouping.
“Mercosur is resilient and has survived the difficult years of disintegration,” said Lula da Silva, considering that this regional bloc “has remained united once again to defend the full validity of the rule of law,” in reference to the recent failed coup in Bolivia.
The Asuncion summit took place in the absence of Argentine President Javier Milei, which caused unease among other heads of state, since these biannual summit meetings have almost never had an absence before.
2024-07-10 08:14:33