Mercosur

• Tuesday, June 25th 2013 - 20:52 UTC

  Mercosur suspension was rather beneficial for Paraguay, reveals President Franco

  

  Mercosur partners’ sanctions on Paraguay rather benefited than hindered the country, said President Federico Franco during a press conference in which he underlined the country had become more reliable and this was supported by a three fold increase in foreign investments.

• Tuesday, June 25th 2013 - 20:25 UTC

  Paraguay claims Mercosur pro-tempore chair and thanks EU for political support

  

  President elect Horacio Cartes revealed in Spain that Paraguay is claiming the pro-tempore chair of Mercosur, argued that Venezuela is an ‘illegitimate’ member of the trade group and said Paraguay is en route to becoming full member of the Pacific Alliance.

• Monday, June 24th 2013 - 03:09 UTC

  Bolivia will hold double membership of Mercosur and the Andean Community

  

  Bolivia will join Mercosur without abandoning the Andean Community and will continue with negotiations for a cooperation and trade agreement with the European Union, announced in La Paz the Foreign ministers from Bolivia, David Choquehuanca and Luis Almagro from Uruguay which currently holds the group’s chair.

• Monday, June 24th 2013 - 03:07 UTC

  Paraguay not returning to Mercosur under current circumstances: demands compliance with rule of the law

  

  Suspended Paraguay will not return to Mercosur trampling on the institutions of the country or from the group, warned president-elect Horacio Cartes during an event at the Paraguay-US Chamber of Commerce. He emphasized that if there is no respect or abidance by the rule of the law, “we will remain as we are”.

• Saturday, June 22nd 2013 - 05:51 UTC

  Pacific Alliance in a “marketing success” and no concern for Mercosur, says Brazil

  

  The Pacific Alliance is a ‘marketing success’ and does not represent a concern for Mercosur since it does not have the potential for physical integration as other blocks from the region, said Brazilian Foreign minister Antonio Patriota during a congressional hearing this week in Brasilia.

• Saturday, June 22nd 2013 - 05:33 UTC

  Mercosur ‘good offices’ delegation in Paraguay to talk with president-elect Cartes

  

  Paraguayan president elect Horacio Cartes held a meeting on Friday at his home with former Chilean president Ricardo Lagos and the Ibero-American secretary general Enrique Iglesias to talk “about Mercosur issues and Paraguay’s suspension from the block”, according to sources close to the meeting.

• Friday, June 21st 2013 - 06:37 UTC

  Mercosur summit in Montevideo will consider lifting Paraguay’s suspension

  

  Brazilian Foreign minister Antonio Patriota confirmed on Thursday that Paraguay’s suspension from Mercosur will be in the agenda of the coming presidential summit, next 12 July in Montevideo.

• Friday, June 21st 2013 - 06:03 UTC

  Main Mercosur obstacle is Argentina, say Brazilian farmers promoting an EU/Brazil trade accord

  

  One of Mercosur ‘main obstacles’ is political and has its origin in Argentina, a country that is ‘extremely protectionist’, said the president of Brazil’s National Agriculture Confederation, CAN, Senator Katia Abreu currently in Brussels promoting the idea of a bilateral Brazil/EU free trade agreement.

• Wednesday, June 19th 2013 - 02:24 UTC

  Mercosur is ‘quite discredited’ and needs Paraguay back to ‘clean its image’

  

  Mercosur needs suspended Paraguay to return to the group because it has ‘to clean its image’ and because its international standing has fallen quite seriously, said a former Paraguayan ambassador suggesting Asuncion should not rush, since the initiative must come from Mercosur.

• Monday, June 17th 2013 - 21:30 UTC

  Latinamerica and Mercosur, priorities of Brazil foreign policy ratifies Rousseff

  

  President Dilma Rousseff ratified Latinamerica and Mercosur as Brazil’s foreign policy priorities, but at the same time emphasizing the ‘excellent relations’ with the United States and the European Union.