The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, on Thursday called on Latin American countries to forge an alliance for peace and democracy in the face of the war context that Europe is experiencing with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In the framework of the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Buenos Aires, the head of European diplomacy urged the region to collaborate «in the promotion of peace, democracy and human rights» in the face of the challenges posed by the Russian aggression against Ukraine.
«In this new geopolitical context it is more necessary than ever that we ally ourselves to achieve these three objectives,» Borrell said at the meeting between European and Latin American foreign ministers.
«Multilateralism must be defended and a good example has been the practically unanimous reaction of Latin American and Caribbean states in two important votes at the United Nations General Assembly where practically the entire international community expressed its rejection of Russian aggression in Ukraine. These three words are key to our alliance: peace, democracy and human rights», he added.
On trade, the High Representative advocated opening up the region more in terms of trade, as «it is still very closed and not very integrated», and stressed the call to advance in the «great pending agreement», Mercosur, and the modernization of the trade agreements with Mexico and Chile.
And he insisted on the interest that the region arouses among European companies, which have an accumulated stock of 800,000 million euros, recalling that the EU has invested in Latin America «more than in China, Japan, Russia and India together».
After the meeting of European and Latin American foreign ministers met for the first time in four years, Borrell called for «intensifying political dialogue at the highest level», hoping that this summit will pave the way for the summit of heads of state and government of the EU and CELAC, which is expected to take place next year during Spain’s presidency of the Council.
