45th meeting of the Committee established by the River Transport Agreement for the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway

The delegations of Bolivia, Brazil Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina- members of the Committee established  by the River Transport Agreement for the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway (Cáceres Port – Port of Nueva Palmira)- met on April 20 and 21. The opening session was chaired by the Argentine Undersecretary for Latin American and Caribbean Affairs, Ambassador Lila Roldán Vázquez, who highlighted the importance of the agenda and the need to periodically address the issues pertaining to the functioning of the Waterway as one of the most important elements for the physical integration of the countries in the basin and their relations with the world.

This is the 45th meeting of the technical group in charge of guaranteeing safe and effective navigation for all users of the system, by protecting the people engaged in and the property used for navigation through the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway, between Cáceres Port in Brazil and the Port of Nueva Palmira in Uruguay.  The delegations are headed by high-ranking officials from the Secretariats for Transportation from each country and are made up of experts.

The delegates of the countries gathered in Buenos Aires underscored all the achievements made as regards navigation through the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway, especially the growth of Paraguay’s river fleet, the increase in the supply of logistics capacity provided by Uruguay and the clear physical integration of Southwest Brazil in the Waterway starting in Corumbá. In this regard, the great efforts made by Argentina to maintain the Waterway free of obstacles for the benefit of all users were stressed.

At the closing event, the Director General for Organization and Military Doctrine of the Argentine Navy, Rear Admiral César Julio Recalde, welcomed participants on board the historic frigate ARA Sarmiento for an event that was attended by Ambassadors and Naval Attachés of the participating countries, as well as by authorities from the Argentine Foreign Ministry, the Argentine Navy and the Argentine Coast Guard. The Secretary for Ports and Waterways of the Argentine Republic, Jorge Gerardo Metz, urged the delegations to devote the same effort into putting into action the consensus reached and achieving physical integration in the Waterway as offered by the river system of Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina.

           Press Release No. 144/17

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