This coming August 15, Mercosur will lift the suspension on Paraguay's participations that has held since June 29 2012, Uruguay Minister Luis Almagro announced on Thursday during a meeting of the group’s foreign ministers in Montevideo.
President-elect Horacio Cartes will not make any comments on the ongoing dispute of Paraguay with Mercosur until after the group’s summit in Uruguay next Friday, when official decisions on the subject are expected to be made public. However for both sides any decision will most probably be challenging and ratify that Mercosur has become a political group far from its original trade and investment purposes.
Paraguay reiterated on Tuesday that if Venezuela assumes as pro termpore chair of Mercosur, it is not interested in returning to the group and discarded Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pledge to ensure Paraguay is fully reincorporated.
Paraguay called for practical sense from its Mercosur partners Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay to try and overcome the current impasse which could lead to a rift if Venezuela occupies the chair of the group at this week’s summit in Montevideo. Paraguay does not recognize Venezuela’s full membership because it was decided in its absence.
The Permanent Representative of Paraguay to the Organization of American States (OAS), Martin Sannemann, assumed last Friday the Chair of the Permanent Council of the hemispheric institution, held in the last three months by the Permanent Representative of Panama, Arturo Vallarino.
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.
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.
Paraguay's economy expanded 14.8% in the first quarter compared with the same period last year, driven mainly by farming, cattle-ranching and construction activity, the central bank said. GDP surged 8.8% in the first quarter versus the fourth quarter of 2012.
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.
The Union of South American Nations, Unasur expects Paraguayan president-elect Horacio Cartes to attend the next summit of the block in August in Suriname, said Salomon Lerner head of the Unasur electoral observers’ mission, who previously delivered a very positive report on last April’s presidential election.