(VOVworld) - A research center under the Catholic University of Uruguay was launched on Wednesday to promote trade exchange between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur).
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| Foreign Minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa, together with ASEAN ambassadors, attends the inauguration ceremony. (Photo: VNA) |
At the inauguration ceremony in Mentevideo, Uruguay, Foreign Minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa underscored ASEAN as an important market and said the Mercosur – ASEAN research center will help Southern American businesses learn more about ASEAN members. Noova added that he hopes Uruguay will take the lead in boosting cooperation between Mercosur and ASEAN. He will lead a business delegation to Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore in November.
Mercosur is currently the 5th biggest economic bloc in the world and one of the leading producers of food, raw materials, and energy. It is a market with 275 million consumers and 3.3 trillion USD of GDP, 83% of Latin America’s total GDP. Internal trade totals 62 billion USD a year.