Chile concludes its pro tempore presidency of the Pacific Alliance with the approval of Costa Rica's membership
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alberto van Klaveren, led the ceremony of the transfer of the pro tempore presidency of the Pacific Alliance from Chile to Colombia. Chile thus concludes its period leading the integration mechanism -also integrated by Mexico and Peru- with important advances.
During the event, there was also a meeting of the Council of Ministers, where the accession of Costa Rica as a full member of the Pacific Alliance was approved - for which an accession protocol will be drawn up in 2025 to make the country's entry into the bloc a reality -, the creation of the Youth Technical Group and progress in the roadmaps for the development of MSMEs and Entrepreneurship, and the Regional Digital Market, among other agreements.
“Chile is firmly committed to promoting regional integration through this Alliance, guided by a sustainable development policy with a gender perspective. Our goal is to move towards deeper integration, boost economic growth, strengthen competitiveness and reduce inequality. In this way, we seek not only to promote well-being and social inclusion, but also to consolidate our position as a platform for global projection, especially towards the Asia-Pacific region”, said the Minister.
The ceremony was also attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Luis Gilberto Murillo; the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Peru, Elmer Schialer; the Undersecretary for International Economic Relations of Chile, Claudia Sanhueza; and the Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism of Colombia, Luis Reyes Hernández; the Undersecretary for Latin America and the Caribbean of the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Raquel Serur; the head of the International Trade Negotiations Unit of the Mexican Ministry of Economy, Victor Aguilar; and the Vice Minister of Foreign Trade of Peru, Teresa Mera. Also in attendance were Costa Rica's Minister of Foreign Trade, Manuel Tovar; Costa Rica's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship for Bilateral Affairs and International Cooperation, Lydia Peralta; and Uruguay's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Omar Paganini.
Undersecretary Sanhueza added that “in the thirteen years of life of the Alliance, we have made significant progress, facing together the economic, social and environmental challenges that we share as emerging economies. Today we celebrate the achievements made during Chile's pro tempore presidency, since March 22 of this year, when we took on the challenge of leading this regional bloc, in an international context characterized by economic volatility and the resurgence of geopolitical tensions, in the midst of which, the Alliance has managed to remain an example of effective regional cooperation and integration, with a sustainable and inclusive focus”.
The Pacific Alliance was created in 2011 by Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, and as a whole the bloc is the world's eighth largest economy and the fourth largest exporting power worldwide. It also attracts 40.2% of foreign direct investment flows received in Latin America and the Caribbean.
