MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguay reviews options regarding refueling along Paraná Waterway

Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano will also be involved in a series of events marking 68 years of ties with Taiwan

Paraguay's Foreign Ministry and private sector associations regarding fuel bunkering operations at kilometer 171 of the Paraguay-Paraná waterway started a round of discussions Thursday in Asunción after Argentina's customs authority announced a potential suspension of these operations.

The Paraguayan government has been negotiating with Argentina, reaching an agreement in principle to maintain current conditions for 12 months. A bilateral working group involving public and private sectors from both countries has been established, and Paraguay has also created an inter-institutional coordination space to plan short-, medium-, and long-term actions.
Kilometer 171, known as Lote Hidrovía Sur, has been a crucial cargo loading and unloading point for over three decades.

Taiwan

Also Thursday, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung arrived in the country with a delegation of over 30 businesspeople from strategic sectors like semiconductors, ICT, smart transportation, smart agriculture, construction, and high-tech textiles.

The visit, to span from July 10 to 14, commemorates 68 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

During his stay, Minister Lin will meet with Paraguayan President Santiago Peña and his local colleague Rubén Ramírez Lezcano to talk about deepening cooperation, exploring investment opportunities, and strengthening commercial ties.

The delegation will review several bilateral cooperation projects, including the Taiwan-Paraguay Smart Technology Park, the Taiwan-Paraguay Polytechnic University, a pilot plan for an electric bus system, and the Juan Max Boettner National Institute of Respiratory and Environmental Diseases (Ineram), where a Taiwanese-developed Health Information System is in use.

Taiwanese businesspeople will also visit industrial parks, as well as the Itaipu hydroelectric power plant “to see firsthand the abundant sustainable energy resources available to Paraguay, as well as its great potential to promote emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and the development of data centers,” according to a government document.

Moreover, they will meet with representatives from the Paraguayan Industrial Union (UIP) in addition to attending a presentation on Paraguay's business climate from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC).

The visit aims to leverage Taiwan's technological strengths for Paraguay's industrial and technological development, emphasizing cooperation based on democratic values, mutual trust, and benefit.