The 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly opened on September 10, welcoming leaders from across the world to deliberate on a series of pressing issues for humanity. This year’s High-Level Week (September 23-27) marks a crucial milestone in the global effort to accelerate progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
On 26 September, Minister of Foreign Affairs George Gerapetritis held talks with his Argentinean counterpart, Diana Mondino, on the occasion of the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. During their discussion, Minister Gerapetritis highlighted the opportunities for bilateral cooperation in a number of areas, with energy, trade and shipping being some of the most prominent.
The two Ministers also assessed the results so far of the EU-Mercosur Agreement, a trade agreement concluded five years ago with the four founding members of Mercosur, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, after almost twenty years of negotiations.
The Agreement is primarily of a trade nature, but also includes an important political component and is particularly sensitive to the dimension of sustainable development in growth and trade. The dialogue between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean seeks to provide answers to how the two regions can tap into their comparative advantages in the face of climate change and energy transition. Both regions have adopted the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals, which is why the green dimension is an essential component of the EU-LAC Partnership.
See also: ΕU-Μercosur relations/ EU relations with Latin America and Caribbean countries