São Paulo – The free trade agreement between Mercosur and the United Arab Emirates is expected to be concluded this semester, according to a statement released on Friday (2) by the Mercosur Foreign Ministers following a meeting held at the Foreign Ministry of Argentina, which currently holds the bloc’s presidency, in Buenos Aires. The document also says that the goal is to sign the agreement with the Arab country and with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in 2025, as well as to finalize the agreement with the European Union.
The foreign ministers of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia met to continue discussions on Mercosur and the prospects for regional integration. In the statement, diplomats also emphasized the need to “prioritize and promote external negotiations with commercially relevant countries for all partners during the second half of this year.”
Negotiations with the UAE officially began in July of last year. The agreement is expected to cover goods, services, rules of origin, technical barriers, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and intellectual property. Among Arab countries, Mercosur already has an agreement in place with Egypt. In April, Brazil also ratified the bloc’s agreement with Palestine.
The meeting in Buenos Aires was attended by Argentina’s Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein, Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, Bolivia’s Foreign Minister Celinda Sosa, Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano, and Uruguay’s Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin.
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
