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The IV Round of negotiations for the incorporation of El Salvador to the process of Deep Integration towards the Free Transit of People and Goods between the Republics of Honduras and Guatemala, began today in San Salvador.

According to the Minister of Economy of El Salvador, Dr. Luz Estrella Rodríguez, the objective of this negotiation is to create a single customs territory among the three countries, in which a list of products will enjoy free circulation.

The official added that reaching the customs union would also achieve the integration of approximately 70% of the trade, which will allow our countries to reduce the transit times of goods through the border posts.

According to Minister Rodríguez, the customs union between Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador will boost the economies and, at first, promote the processes of exchange between the Northern Triangle, to later be extended to the entire Central American region.

"We are interested in advancing this process and facilitating trade, but at the same time safeguarding the national productive sectors, said Minister Rodríguez, while affirming that within this accelerated process important benefits will be achieved for the entire Northern Triangle region.

Minister Rodriguez said that in the coming days the Protocol of El Salvador to Deep Integration would be presented to the Legislative Assembly, with the purpose that at the meeting it would be an important issue on the agenda of the Presidents. from the countries of the Northern Triangle, who will meet in the middle of this year.

Julio Dougherty, Vice Minister of Integration and Trade of Guatemala, congratulated our country for the work done and the decision to join this process, while highlighting the leadership that has always characterized El Salvador in the Central American region.

For his part, Melvin Redondo, Secretary General of the Secretariat of Central American Economic Integration (SIECA), reiterated his support for the process, which he said "is the seed of unity for the entire region."

According to Secretary Redondo, the value of this commercial exercise is invaluable and puts in context the need for regional integration, which entails more than US $ 6 billion of trade between the countries involved.

The meeting that will last from 9 to 13 April is led by the Ministry of Economy with the support and commitment of government institutions linked to foreign trade activities, including Agriculture, Finance, Migration, Civil Aviation Authority, among others.

Among the main advances of the process to date, we can highlight the approval by the customs authorities of the three countries for the model of integrated border posts that will be implemented at the borders of La Hachadura, Anguiatú, Las Chinamas and San Cristóbal with Guatemala, as well as in El Poy and El Amatillo with Honduras.

The negotiating tables that will discuss topics of interest to the countries involved during the week will be: Customs, Internal Taxes, Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, Tariffs, Rules of Origin, Migration, Air Transportation and Security.

The Northern Triangle region represents a territory of more than 242,000 square kilometers, which is equivalent to 48.5% of all the Central American territory and also represents a population of 32.1 million inhabitants, which is equivalent to 68% of the total population of Central America .

Source.

Central America Data