The talks will begin this month in Ottawa, said Paraguayan Foreign Minister Eladio Loizaga, who hosted a meeting that included the foreign ministers of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, and the trade minister of Canada.
The South American bloc Mercosur launched negotiations on Friday (9.03.2018) for a trade agreement with Canada, which officials hope to conclude this year and consider a message of support for free trade against protectionist policies.
The talks will begin this month in Ottawa, said Paraguayan Foreign Minister Eladio Loizaga, who hosted a meeting that included the foreign ministers of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, and the trade minister of Canada.
"This launch is sending a very important political message to the international community, where we are now witnessing the beginning of what may be a setback in free trade and a protectionism that we thought had been overcome," said Loizaga.
"We are sending a message to the world," agreed Canadian Minister François-Philippe Champagne, who highlighted the possibilities of trade with the world's fourth-largest trading bloc, which has a combined population of 260 million.
The Uruguayan foreign minister, Rodolfo Nin Novoa, explained that the agreement has a "progressive" character because it does not only address tariff or tariff issues but establishes rules related to gender, small businesses and the environment.
"I think that it could be done by the end of this year," he said in relation to the conclusion of the agreement.
The announcement of the start of negotiations comes as Canada seeks new markets to reduce its dependence on the United States amid uncertainty over the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
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