Revista Forum ::: Fundación Euroamérica

Andrés Pastrana
President of the Republic, Colombia

Colombia is a country which believes firmly in the benefits of closer ties and ongoing dialogue between Europe and South America, a strategy which has enabled us to identify many common values and ideals, and one which has proved fruiful in the areas of commerce and finance. We represent two main areas of the planet who understnd the need for the presence of humanity in the globalisation process, to avoid the widening of the rift between the rich and the poor.

Colombia, a country traditionally committed to international law and peaceful co-operation between nations, inmersed in a peace process whic will have far-reaching implications for the country, and whit an ethical commitment to fight the world-wide problems of drugs, sees in Europe an ideal ally to fight alongside them in the crusades, for democracy and human rights.

It is on this same basis that the we are currently leading, as the current holder ot the Pro-tempore Secretariat ot the Rio Group, a process aimed at building closer ties with Europe, a continent with which we have strong historical, economic and cultural links.strong historical, economic and cultural links.

José Luis Machinea
Finance Minister, Argentina

The economic and international policy of our Government is aimed at stimulating sustained economic growth in the country, improving the wellbeing of the population, and ensuring the successful integration of the nation into the global economy. In this context, we believe that the Mercosur economic community wiII enable us to fulfil these strategic objectives. We are also convinced that the countries of Europa will continue being firm partners de course of our international integration, since we are linked by strong historical and commercial ties. The experience of the European Union, for its part, throws light on the course of our process of integration, which is currently gathering strength in South America. We do not see this integration, the principie vehicle of which is Mercosur, as an end in itseIf, bul rather as an open platform, supportive and competitive, which enables us to relate more effectively with the remainder of the the blocks, and in particular whit the European Union. This, however, will only occur as integration becomes areality. We must therefore ensure that, in the new phase, national policies and regional objectives are brought together more rapidly than in the past, and will invite the collaboration of all the neighbors or the region who share our commitmens and objectives.

Álvaro García
Minister of the Presidency of Chile

Within the framework of relations between Europe and Latin America, and in particular Chile, were foreign policy is citizen oriented, we are convinced of the enormous contribution which a political and economic association whit the European Union will signify for our society, and in this sense the association in extremely important.
On the international stage Chile is acting with profound conviction towards this objetive, on the bassis of the reafirmation of its Latin American identity and privileged relations of its Latin American identity and privileged relations with the Mercosur community. There is full recognition of the fact that the European Community has, since its creation, taken important steps toward the building of a model of political, economic and cultural development, wich we value, just as we also place tremendous value on the rapprochement which the EU has initiated with latin American, and wich we hope will progressively increase, towards greater, mutually beneficial understandind and joint international management.

Leonor Ortiz Monasterio
Private Asistant to the President of the Republic of Mexico

In its objectivs, its working approach and, above all, in the profil of its members, the Fundación Euroamérica is a wholly appropiate institution to contribute to strengthening the ties between Latin America and Europe. With the Free Trade Agreement between Mexico and the European Union wich has just been signed, it once again falls to Mexico, as it did in the 16th Century, to act as the gateway for Europ to enter Latin America. Now, however, the evolution of our societies offers us a better horizon, where our new relations are founded on co-operation and solidarity.

This important changes which are underway make the activities of the Fundación Euroamérica particularly opportune. Changes that the Mexican historian Edmundo O´Gorman described as “a mutation which initiates the grandiose venture and aventure of an ecumenical culture on the basis of achievements and experience -rather then on the ashes- of the existing universalistic civilization. External nature having been conquered of the interior of mankind, whith the discovery of a common oblective capable of generating love, value, and the will for sacrifice which, n its time, has been the source of nationalism and warlike ventures”.