The ambassadors of the four countries of the Pacific Alliance: Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, and the commercial counselors from their promotion agencies made a joint statement highlighting the potential of this integration bloc to foster the trade in services with Australia. This took place during the promotion seminar BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES FOR AUSTRALIA AND THE PACIFIC ALLIANCE that was held on October 20 in Sydney, Australia, with the participation of business representatives from different sectors, entrepreneurs, chambers of commerce, government representatives and academics.
Paula Moreno, Commercial Director for ProChile in Australia, made an introductory presentation about the Pacific Alliance as part of her welcoming the attendants, on behalf of Chile’s pro tempore presidency.
Mr. Grame Barty, Executive Director of International Operations for the Australian promotion agency Austrade, also welcomed the participants, noting the relevance of the Pacific Alliance for doing business with Australian companies, encouraging them to diversify their trade with this growing region and to consider a greater rapprochement in order to explore new business possibilities with the member countries.
Augusto Castellanos, commercial counselor for ProColombia, Esaú Garza, commercial counselor for ProMéxico and Ricardo Salamanca, counselor from PromPerú, along with Ms. Moreno, also spoke about the business opportunities and complementarities that each of the member countries offers to Australian exporters.
The importance and the impact of the Pacific Alliance were addressed by a panel formed by HE Daniel Carvallo, ambassador of Chile, HE Clemencia Forero-Ucrós, ambassador of Colombia, HE Armando Álvarez, ambassador of Mexico, and HE Miguel Palomino de la Gala, ambassador of Peru. The panel was moderated by Ms. Rhonda Piggott, Director of the New South Wales State Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade –DFAT. The main advances and goals of the Pacific Alliance were pointed out during this exchange of ideas, those being, in a nutshell, to reach the development and competitiveness of the member States in order to achieve a greater wellbeing, overcome socioeconomic inequality, promote social inclusion among their inhabitants and become a platform of projection to the world, with a special emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region, through the free flow of goods and people.
Important details for the Australian industry were also highlighted, such as the completion of the agreement between the four countries of the PA for the total trade of goods, the joint opening of consular and trading offices and the consolidation of the mechanism as the most dynamic bloc of countries in Latin America.
Later on, Ms. Loreto Leyton, Executive Director for the Chile-Pacific Foundation, spoke about the most important aspects of the Pacific region.
Lastly, Director Piggot summarized the high points of the event, reiterating the enormous potential that the Pacific Alliance represents for the expansion of business and trade between Australia and the Alliance’s member countries.
There will be an ongoing work to analyze business opportunities with the Pacific Alliance with the more than 70 people who attended the seminar, which concluded with a reception providing a space for exchange and reach out between the participants and the speakers.