Paraguay And Argentina Discuss The Reopening Of Their Border

During a meeting to be held in Buenos Aires on Thursday, Paraguay's Foreign Affairs Minister Euclides Acevedo and his Argentinian counterpart Santiago Cafiero will discuss the reopening of the Encarnacion-Posadas international bridge.

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"We will also talk about the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR), the decrease of the common external tariff, and some pending commitments with our joint dam Yacyreta. However, the meeting is going to revolve around the opening of borders," Acevedo said.

Epidemiological measures are also a key point of discussion given that Argentina demands a vaccination card, whilst Paraguay requirea an antigen test and the signing of a health information sheet.

The head of the General Directorate of Migration Angeles Arriola stated that the reopening of the bridge is "imminent". The authorities will not set a maximum limit for the number of people or vehicles that may pass through the binational border; however, a fixed schedule for cross-border transit will be established.

Argentina has already opened its borders with Chile, Uruguay, and Brazil. Paraguay has tried to negotiate the opening of its border with Argentina for several months and blames the Argentine national and subnational authorities for the delay.

Since March 2020, the Encarnación-Posada bridge has been closed to general traffic, which has severely affected bilateral land trade between Argentina and Paraguay.

Previously, however, their economic relationship was expanding. Between 2019 and 2020, for example, Paraguayan exports increased by 31 percent and reached US $ 2.1 billion at the end of the period.