Santos To Improve Ties With
Latin America, Boost Trade With Asia
Colombia's Juan Manuel Santos greets
members of the media after casting his vote
during presidential elections in Bogota
Sunday. Santos won the second round vote.
(Reuters Photo)
BOGOTA - Colombia's president-elect will
improve ties with Latin American countries
and boost trade with Asian and Pacific
countries, according to his chief economic
advisor.
During his four-year term starting Aug. 7,
Juan Manuel Santos will also enhance the
free-trade mechanism agreed upon with the
Middle East and Africa, said Juan Carlos
Echeverri.
Santos was declared winner of the run-off
presidential polls after garnering 69.06
percent of the votes. His opponent Antanas
Mockus got 27.5 percent of the votes.
"Strategically, we need to open a market for
our products," his advisor told Xinhua,
adding that special attention would be paid
to the Asia-Pacific region where "we can
exploit the great potential" of Colombian
products.
During his election campaign, Santos said it
was vital to promote foreign investment in
his country and link the Colombian economy
with the international markets, particularly
the dynamic ones in Asia.
"The goal is to exploit the huge demand for
food in Asia and the world in the next 40
years," the president-elect said.
Santos pledged to continue with the economic
policies of incumbent President Alvaro Uribe,
promising to increase market access to the
Asia-Pacific region.
His key objective, according to his chief
economic advisor, is to increase trade,
investment and political ties with that
region, especially with China, through
accession to the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC).
China has become Colombia's second largest
trading partner, after the United States.
Colombia will face two main challenges at
the start of Santos's tenure. One will be
the U.S. Congress's approval of the
free-trade agreement between the two
countries and the other will be the
replacement of the Venezuelan market, which
used to be the second largest destination
for Colombian exports.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez froze trade
and diplomatic relations with Colombia in
August last year, to protest Colombia's
signing of a military agreement with the
United States, which allows the U.S. forces
to use seven of Colombia's military bases.
The accord has also soured Colombia's
relations with other Latin American
countries.
"We'll do everything possible to strengthen
relations so they can come back to being
cordial and beneficial for everyone," the
advisor quoted the president-elect as
promising.
Colombia also aims to mend its ties with
Ecuador, with which diplomatic relations
were broken in March 2008 after the
Colombian military bombed a FARC guerrilla
camp in the Ecuadorian territory when Santos
was defense minister.
The advisor said the president-elect wanted
to visit Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa
"and see how we can continue improving,
because the relations have been improving."
The president-elect has also said he will
maintain the Colombian military for defense
instead of offense.
"We will endow the military forces with
dissuasive capacity, but never for
aggression. We will build a coordination
center for border security," he said. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
