Prensa Latina, Cuba

Mexico, Central America Sign Free Trade Agreement

22 November 2011

San Salvador (Prensa Latina) The governments of Mexico and five Central American countries signed in El Salvador a free trade agreement (FTA) that unifies the existing ties in one body.

The agreement was penned by the Economy ministers of the six nations in the presence of Mexican Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinoza and Salvadorian Foreign Minister Hugo Martinez.

The Economy ministers of El Salvador and Mexico, Hector Dada and Bruno Ferrari, respectively, explained that the mechanism will promote trade between the countries, mutual investment, and it will increase business opportunities.

For Mexico, the signing of this treaty has great importance, because one of our strategic priorities is to get closer to Latin America, said Ferrari.

Dada explained that the new agreement brings together in one text the FTA signed between Mexico and Costa Rica in 1995; Nicaragua in 1998, and the Northern Triangle (El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras) in 2001.

Secretary Espinoza said the pact signed is one of the priorities of the Tuxtla Dialogue and Agreement Mechanism and the Mesoamerican Initiative to promote the integration of all parties.

She said the mechanism will be discussed in the upcoming summit in the Mexican city of Merida on December 5.