The meeting of the Summit of Mercosur Presidents this Tuesday (6) exposed tensions over the bloc’s trade flexibility, with clashes between the presidents of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, and Argentina, Alberto Fernández.
Lacalle Pou reaffirmed his intention to negotiate a free trade agreement with China – asking for support from partners – and enter into the Trans-Pacific Agreement, claiming that Mercosur would be “one of the most protectionist areas in the world”.
“No one took a plane to seek conflict, but to seek a return” to the dispute, said Lacalle, admitting the existence of internal tensions and describing the bloc as “an imperfect free trade zone” at Mercosur headquarters in Montevideo.
Last Monday, foreign ministers from Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina had already warned Uruguay of legal and commercial sanctions, criticizing its attitude of seeking bilateral agreements that they interpret as a violation of the rule of consensus for decision-making.
The Argentine president, Alberto Fernández, said that the agreement with the European Union is disadvantageous for his country because it does not contemplate asymmetries.
He also recognized that Uruguay is an autonomous country and could sign a free trade agreement with China, but asked for a joint study.
Fernández acknowledged that Mercosur’s “big problem” “is the asymmetries of its members. We never solve them. It is time to see how we are going to solve them”, he argued.
At the summit, Uruguay handed over the bloc’s temporary presidency to Argentina.
Source: CNN Brasil
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