Antony Blinken and Julio Arriola. Photo: courtesy.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Paraguay, Ambassador Julio César Arriola Ramírez, held a meeting today with the Secretary of State of the United States of America, Antony Blinken, in Washington DC, USA, where they reviewed issues of mutual interest in the framework of the bilateral, regional and global relationship.
The Foreign Ministers highlighted the start of public consultations for the access of Paraguayan beef to the US market; Minister Arriola stated that a prompt decision is expected from the US authorities to begin exports as soon as possible. The re-entry of Paraguayan meat to the US is of great importance for the country, considering its high impact on national economic development, and reflects the strategic alliance that Paraguay has with the United States.
Likewise, Foreign Minister Arriola expressed Paraguay’s interest in joining the Alliance for the Economic Prosperity of the Americas (APEP) promoted by the United States, which seeks to promote the cRegional competitiveness, resilience, shared prosperity and inclusive investment and sustainable, while also tackling the climate crisis.
This initiative also includes trade facilitation, the strengthening of small and medium-sized enterprises, the creation of quality jobs, and financial inclusion, among others.
Both Foreign Ministers celebrated the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for the establishment of the Project of the Master Plan for the Navigability of the Paraguay River, which will be carried out with the collaboration of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The purpose of the project is the elaboration of a master plan to improve navigation and includes the formulation, evaluation, comparison and selection of economically viable, socially and environmentally sustainable alternatives, as well as technically sound ones, for the navigability of the Paraguay River, in the stretch of its sovereignty, from the confluence with the Apa River to the confluence with the Pilcomayo River.
On the other hand, they discussed the protection of human rights, the fight against transnational organized crimeas well as the increase in bilateral trade and the promotion of investments in Paraguay.
Reference was also made to the importance of the Organization of American States (OAS) as the main forum for political dialogue in the region and other regional spaces and forums that allow the coordination of joint actions to address common problems.
During the meeting, they He highlighted Paraguay’s excellent relationship with the Republic of China (Taiwan), uninterrupted for 65 years. Taiwan is a valuable partner with which Paraguay shares democratic values. The bilateral relationship is transforming from one mainly political and cooperation in various fields, to give way to one based on trade and investment in order to achieve greater prosperity for our compatriots.
Finally, both governments reaffirmed their commitment to continue working to strengthen the bilateral relations for the benefit of both countries and of the region.
