Chile praises agreement with Mercosur and critiques EU migrant policy

TUCUMÁN.- Today, Chilean Foreign Minister Alejandro Foxely praised the service trade agreement that his country recently signed with Mercosur and criticized the new immigration policies adopted by the European Union (EU).

Foxley stated that Mercosur “is important for Chile” because bilateral trade reaches some 15 billion dollars and Chile exports some 2.5 billion dollars annually to the South American commercial alliance.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Minister applauded the new authorization established that will allow South American residents to travel within the region without needing to carry a passport, calling it  “something that is contrary to that recently decided upon by the EU”, which has approved “deportation guidelines” for illegal immigrants.

Foxely indicated that, for the last portion of the Mercosur summit today, President Michelle Bachelet has invited her colleagues to attend a meeting of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR).