The Costa Rica News (TCRN) – Next Monday the president of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla, will participate in a summit of the Pacific Alliance, to be held in Cartagena, Colombia.
The president will be accompanied by her Minister of Foreign Trade, Anabel Gonzalez, and her foreign minister, Enrique Castillo, who will travel to next Monday and will return to San Jose, the next day.
“This is an achievement of our trade and foreign policy. During this process we find members of the Pacific Alliance for strategic partners with whom we share a vision of development,” Chinchilla said in a statement.
The Pacific Alliance is composed of Colombia, Chile, Peru and Mexico, and Costa Rica, which since 2012 is an observer, but starting on Monday they will be the first country to sign a roadmap to become a full member to the forum, which promotes free trade between the parties.
“Our administration has placed particular emphasis on modernization, facilitation and the promotion of trade and investment as tools to make Costa Rica a more open economy which offers more opportunities for Costa Ricans,” Chinchilla said.
For her part, the Minister stressed Costa Rica has interest in this initiative because it recognizes in a platform to increase and facilitate trade, improve competitiveness, encourage the creation of partnerships between small and medium enterprises and to promotes investment.
“Becoming a member of the Alliance will allow us to link up in a more profitable and effective way in the world economy, which puts us in an advantageous position to strengthen our interaction and relationship with the Asia-Pacific position,” said the minister.
Costa Rica has FTAs in force with Mexico, Chile and Peru. An agreement with Colombia has been signed which is pending legislative approval.
According to official figures, trade between Costa Rica and the countries of the Pacific Alliance grew from 775 million in 2002 to 2.2 billion in 2012.
Furthermore, 20% of foreign investment that came to Costa Rica in 2012 came from the four countries of the Alliance. (ACAN-EFE)
The Costa Rica News (TCRN)
San Jose Costa Rica