Andean Countries Vow to Cooperate Closely in Economic Integration

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, November 23, 2001

Andean Countries Vow to Cooperate Closely in Economic Integration

Foreign ministers from the Andean countries Thursday pledged to strengthen their negotiating capability in the coming free trade talks, said a statement released in Lima, Peru.

Foreign ministers from the Andean countries Thursday pledged to strengthen their negotiating capability in the coming free trade talks, said a statement released in Lima, Peru .

In order to keep the regional trade going on smoothly, the Andean Community promised to cooperate closely in the integration process, according to the statement issued by the foreign ministries of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.

The foreign ministers are scheduled to have a work meeting later in the day, just one day before the opening of the 11th Ibero-American Summit, which attracts 23 heads of state or government from Latin America and Spain and Portugal.

The work meeting is aimed at evaluating measures to solve the difficulties the Andean Community faces in the commercial area, said Colombian Foreign Minister Guillermo Fernandez de Soto.

He also said that the cooperation among the member countries is vital to cope with the three common commitments, including the negotiations on the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) beginning next year.

According to de Soto, the two other commitments are the establishment of a common, coherent position towards the new rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the issues regarding the negotiations between Andean countries and the South American Common Market (Mercosur).