[ARCHIVO] President Bachelet Commemorates “Pacific Alliance Day”
This morning, President Michelle Bachelet and Minister of Foreign Affairs Heraldo Muñoz participated in the celebration of Pacific Alliance Day.
The President stated that, “Today we are celebrating the sixth anniversary of the decision of Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Chile to unite in favor of Latin American integration. We established an area of profound integration that would require a strong commitment by the parties –as we saw in the video- to progressively move towards the free circulation of goods, services, capital and people”.
The Pacific Alliance (PA) is a regional integration initiative composed of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. It was officially created on April 28, 2011. Since then, 49 countries have joined the alliance as observer states.
The main goal of the bloc is the creation of an area of free circulation of goods, services, capital and people in order to achieve greater wellbeing, overcome socio-economic inequality, promote social inclusion and become a platform for projection to the world with a special emphasis on the Asia Pacific region and the creation of connections to other regional processes such as MERCOSUR.
The President stated that, “Today we are facing an international political-economic moment that is full of uncertainty. Protectionist voices have reemerged, and borders have been closed. And yet the Pacific Alliance has maintained its position and has shown that integration is the key to moving towards sustainable economic and social development”.
The PA covers over 220 million of the region’s inhabitants, which represents 36% of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean, 3% of the global population and 2.3% of the world economy. It is therefore a solid platform for encouraging joint business activities and offers opportunities for foreign investment, new undertakings and innovation in various fields.
Chile has been the Pro Tempore President of the PA since July 1, 2016 and is responsible for coordinating its international agenda and relationship with the 49 observer states.
As she finished her remarks, President Bachelet stated that, “Six years after the creation of the alliance, we can say that it has had many significant achievements. We have learned that with our commitment and will to move towards real and profound integration we can have a stronger voice on the international stage and can reap benefits for our people and our region”.