MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguay does not accept any harm to its production

Paraguay is leading the negotiations for an FTA with the United Arab Emirates, Peña underlined

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña pledged to “firmly” defend his country's meat in the face of recent statements by Carrefour CEO Alexandre Bompard, who refused to continue selling meat from Mercosur countries.

“We do not agree that they want to question things that we do not accept, the non-recognition of our enforcement authorities, or try to harm Paraguayan production, like that of other countries, something that we simply do not accept,” said Peña, who insisted that no other region besides South America can produce enough food to supply the world.

“What I have encouraged my colleagues, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, is that we take a greater role in market access, where there is clearly an important market in the European Union, but there are also other tremendously important markets. As a member of Mercosur, we promoted the negotiation and signing of the free trade agreement between Mercosur and Singapore, and today Paraguay is leading the negotiations with the United Arab Emirates,” he underlined.

Peña also highlighted the entry of Paraguayan meat into markets such as the United States and Canada and the ongoing processes to reach Panama, South Korea, and Mexico.

The President also pointed out that his government was eager to start a new era of friendship with Donald Trump's return to the White House. “We are very excited about the beginning of this new administration. We work very closely with President Biden's administration, but the reality is that historically for Democratic governments Latin America has always been a more distant region than for Republican presidents,” he said.

The Colorado leader also said he spoke on the telephone with Trump who showed great interest in Paraguay, in addition to agreeing on the positions regarding international conflicts. “We view with great optimism the appointment of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is the only legislator, the only senator in American history to come to visit Paraguay, he knows Paraguay, he knows the history, the present, the things we are defending, the positions we have, so we really view with enormous optimism,” Peña noted.

Regarding former Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes being listed as significantly corrupt by the US, Peña explained that in no way was it a State matter so the question must be solved by the interested person directly. Peña was Economy Minister under Cartes, and the current Colorado Party chairman also mentored his presidential bid.

“They are not State matters, they are not part of the bilateral agenda,” insisted Peña. With the United States, “we have a very rich agenda ranging from security, technology, investment, [and] market access.”

Peña also said he would be traveling next week to France at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron and from there he would be making an official visit to Israel. “For two days we will be having several meetings, including the reopening of the Paraguayan Embassy in Jerusalem and also an invitation to be able to meet with the Parliament, the Prime Minister, universities, and the business sector,” he pointed out while recalling that Israel has historically been an ally of Paraguay.

“We have put a very clear, forceful position and without any margin of doubt that we stand on the side of Israel, of the democratically elected government of Israel, the defense of this aggression that has received last October 7 that we have condemned, a terrorist act and that really as a people who have suffered a war of intolerance,” he said.

(Source: ABC)