Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray travels today to Cali, Colombia to attend the 18th meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Pacific Alliance to be held on Thursday, June 29.
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Economy and Finance of Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Peru will follow up on the agreements adopted at the June 2 meeting in Mexico City and review the deliverables and mandates prior to the 12th Summit of the Pacific Alliance.
In addition, the Foreign Secretary will attend the meeting of the Council of Ministers with the 52 Observer States. To date, 67 projects have been completed and eight are in progress with the Observer States, in areas such as trade, education, SMEs, agriculture, mobility and port services.
Foreign Secretary Videgaray will also hold a bilateral meeting with New Zealand Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee to discuss bilateral and regional issues such as agricultural cooperation, New Zealand's involvement in the Pacific Alliance and its intention to play a larger role in Latin America and the Caribbean.
At night, the Foreign Secretary and President Enrique Peña Nieto will attend the closing ceremony of the 4th Business Meeting of the Alliance and the dinner offered by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos prior to the inauguration of the 12th Pacific Alliance Summit on Friday, June 30.
Established on April 28, 2011, the Pacific Alliance is a regional integration process made up of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. The total population of the Pacific Alliance is 222 million people and it accounts for 41 percent of GDP in Latin America and the Caribbean, making it the seventh largest economy in the world. Its four members account for approximately 50 percent of total regional trade and have a network of more than 50 free trade agreements that facilitate access to more than 60 markets.