Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Minister, Honourable Sean Sobers, has advanced this country’s foreign policy goal of pursuing a new Commercial Trade Partnership between Trinidad and Tobago and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR). Trinidad and Tobago is seeking to become an Associate Member of MERCOSUR as well as negotiate a Partial Scope Trade Agreement with MERCOSUR.

Minister Sobers is in Paraguay on an invitation issued by His Excellency Santiago Peña Palacios, President of the Republic of Paraguay, to the Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar S.C., Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, to attend the Summit of Heads of State of MERCOSUR and Associated States in Asuncion, Paraguay.

During the visit to Paraguay, Minister Sobers held separate bilateral meetings with His Excellency Rubén Darío Ramírez Lezcano, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Paraguay; His Excellency Mauro Vieira, Minister of External Relations of The Federative Republic of Brazil; His Excellency Pablo Quirno Magrane, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, Argentine Republic; and His Excellency Mario Lubetkin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of The Oriental Republic Of Uruguay. Arising out of these discussions, it was agreed that Trinidad and Tobago’s application for Associate Membership would proceed to the next stage and would, inter alia, include the negotiation of trade agreements with the core members of MERCOSUR.