A spokesman for the provisional presidency of Mercosur announced this Wednesday (20) that the governments of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay have refused Ukraine’s President Volodmir Zelensky has the opportunity to deliver a speech at the summit Next Thursday (21).
“There was no consensus. The Ukrainian ambassador to Argentina, who is in Paraguay, was informed,” Paraguay’s deputy foreign minister, Ral Cano, told a news conference on Wednesday.
Mercosur, created in 1991, is the main integration bloc in South America with partners in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
agreement with singapore
Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Julio Arriola announced the conclusion of talks for a “state-of-the-art” agreement between MERCOSUR and Singapore during the bloc’s general meeting in Asuncion.
“We have concluded negotiations with Singapore for a state-of-the-art agreement that will broaden commercial horizons with Southeast Asia,” the Paraguayan minister announced in a message to his counterparts in the bloc.
Arriola said Singapore is an important trade and investment partner for Mercosur. In 2021, the bloc’s exports to that country reached US$5.92 billion, according to data from the bloc, while imports totaled US$1.25 billion.
Brazilian Foreign Minister Carlos Alberto Franca described the agreement as “important”, “the first with Southeast Asia and the most dynamic in the world”.
