LA PAZ, July 21 (NNN-Prensa Latina) — Bolivia insists on its interest in becoming a full member of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), an initiative supported by Venezuela, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, with only Brazil still pending.
Bolivian President Evo Morales thanked his Paraguayan counterpart Mario Abdo Benitez for his support at the 54th meeting of heads of state of the trade bloc, held recently in Santa Fe, Argentina.
‘We thank brother @MaritoAbdo, President of #Paraguay, for his desire that #Bolivia strengthen its membership as a full member of @mercosur,’ Morales wrote.
In that regard, he added that ‘integration organizations are essential to strengthen our political and trade relations.
Paraguayan head of state expressed that desire during a meeting in Argentina with his counterparts Mauricio Macri of the southern nation, Tabare Vazquez from Uruguay and Jair Bolsonaro from Brazil.
Bolivia’s joining Mercosur will strengthen trade in the region, as it shares 72 percent of its borders with members of that economic bloc, Benjamin Blanco, Bolivia’s Deputy Minister of Trade and Integration, told reporters.
The Southern Common Market is considered an economic power with a global Gross Domestic Product of 4.58 billion dollars, 13 million square kilometers of territory and 300 million inhabitants, making it the fourth largest economic bloc in the world. — NNN-PRENSA LATINA
