Joint statement on a possible comprehensive free trade agreement between the MERCOSUR member states and Canada

October 9, 2017 – Marrakesh – Brazilian Foreign Affairs Minister Aloysio Nunes met with Canadian Minister of International Trade, François-Philippe Champagne on October 9th, 2017, at the margins of the WTO Mini Ministerial Conference in Marrakesh. Minister Nunes acted on behalf of Mercosur, as Brazil currently holds the Pro Tempore Presidency of the bloc.

At the conclusion of their meeting, the Ministers agreed as follows:

JOINT STATEMENT ON A POSSIBLE COMPREHENSIVE FREE TRADE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE MERCOSUR MEMBER STATES AND CANADA

The Ministers expressed satisfaction at the prospect of deepening bilateral relations between Mercosur and Canada through a potential free trade agreement, confirmed by the preliminary positive results of our ongoing exploratory dialogue.

The Ministers recognized that with the size of the Canadian and MERCOSUR economies and our bilateral trade, there is strong potential to develop a more ambitious trade relationship by enhancing trade and investment flows.

The Ministers expressed the hope that Canada and MERCOSUR can jointly demonstrate the value of trade and investment in building our mutual prosperity in an inclusive and progressive manner.

In this context, the Ministers committed to advancing the joint scoping exercise toward possible free trade negotiations and have instructed officials to continue their close collaboration in this regard.