The Pacific Alliance’s Council of Ministers met today at Paracas, Perú.
Firstly, the Ministers reviewed the progress of the X Summit agreements. They then approved the Project of the Paracas’ Declaration, which will be submitted for consideration by presidents Michelle Bachelet, from Chile; Juan Manuel Santos, from Colombia; Enrique Peña Nieto, from México, and Ollanta Humala, from Perú.
Mexico’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Antonio Meade, whose country will transfer the Pro Tempore Presidency of the mechanism to Peru, made a presentation on the progress that the mechanism has achieved in the linking process with the observers and third countries. Mr Meade highlighted the cooperation projects with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF).
The Ministers received, separately, the representatives from Costa Rica and New Zealand, in order to discuss about several cooperation projects between the Pacific Alliance and those countries.
Within the framework of the Council of Ministers, the cooperation framework agreement for financial support for companies from to the Pacific Alliance member countries was signed. This agreement will help to increase business and promote commercial exchange and investment between the parties, particularly the SMEs related with the export sector.
The Pacific Alliance is a regional integration process formed by Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru on April 28th, 2011. It brings together 217 millions of people, with a USD $ 2.1 billion GDP that represents 38% of the GDP of Latin America and the Caribbean. The four member countries of this alliance concentrate 52% of Latin America and the Caribbean’s extra regional
The Ministers of the Pacific Alliance that attended the meeting were: t>he Minister of Foreign Affairs, Heraldo Muñoz, and the Viceminister of Foreign Trade, Andrés Rebolledo, from Chile: the Minister of Foreign Trade, Industry and Tourism, Cecilia Álvarez-Correa, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, María Ángela Holguín, from Colombia; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Antonio Meade, and the Minister of Economy, Ildefonso Guajardo, from Mexico; the Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Magali Silva, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ana María Sánchez, from Peru.