The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Paraguay reported this Thursday (11) on the progress of the negotiations between MERCOSUR and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Since the UAE expressed its interest in the agreement in the first half of 09, the talks have progressed steadily. Recently, the Chancellor Rubén Ramírez Lezcano held a virtual meeting with the UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, Thani Al Zeyoudi, with the aim of promoting the implementation of the agreement.
Paraguay, in its role as coordinator of the negotiations, "seeks to achieve the signing of the agreement during the current semesterThe talks began during the Paraguayan Pro Tempore Presidency in 2024 and are currently underway. They have recorded 80% progress in the 15 chapters negotiations, which cover trade in goods, services and rules of origin," according to the statement from the Paraguayan Foreign Ministry.
Thus, during 2024, three formal rounds and several virtual sessions were held, in which texts on market access for goods, rules of origin, trade in services, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and legal matters were worked on. Negotiations are progressing steadily, with the goal of concluding and signing the agreement before the end of 2025.
Regarding trade relations, according to official data, the balance between MERCOSUR and the UAE shows an approximate surplus of $3.000 billion in 2024. Notable exports include raw sugar (23%), beef (12%), and chicken parts and offal (9%), while imports are mainly concentrated in diesel (65%), drilling rigs (16%), and perfumes (2%).
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