Uruguayan foreign affairs minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa concluded a visit to South Korea, where he agreed with his counterpart Yun Byung-se to promote negotiations about a free-trade area agreement (FTA) between the Asian country and the Mercosur bloc.
The South Korean chancellor asked Nin to “play a key role” at trying to promote a dialogue about the trade agreement. South Korea and Mercosur representatives will meet in Buenos Aires to discuss a possible FTA.
Nin Novoa was positive about his counterpart initiative. Negotiations about a FTA between South Korea and the Southern Common Market started in 2005, but were at a standstill in the past years.
Bilateral commerce between Mercosur and South Korea reached 12,200 million dollars last year, according to the South Korean government.
In the field of politics, both foreign affair ministers talked about North Korea nuclear program and development of weapons of mass destruction, and agreed that it means a serious threat to the international community.
Nin ruled out any possibility of improving relations with North Korea as long as Pyongyang sticks to its nuclear ambitions.
“Unless the North shows any change in its attitude, there will be no improvement in our ties, including establishing diplomatic relations with the country”, he said.
They also discussed ways to expand cooperation in other diverse areas, including infrastructure, bilateral commerce, development and cultural ties, saying the two economies are complementary.
Before the meeting with his counterpart, Nin Novoa met with South Korean business owners and entrepreneurs, explaining the business opportunities that Uruguay offers, especially in the building, infrastructure and service areas.
Source: El Espectador, EFE.
