Brazil leads meeting of Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization in Ecuador
02 de mayo de 2013

"The cooperation agenda of Brazil and Ecuador includes areas such as digital television, agriculture, bio-fuels, environment, work and jobs, public health and social development".

Published byMercoPress.com,Uruguay

Brasilia, May 2- Brazilian Foreign minister Antonio Patriota arrives today inEcuadorfor bilateral talks on trade, investment and immigration, and to attend a day later the Amazon group summit of ministers, reports Itamaraty palace.

"The cooperation agenda ofBrazilandEcuadorincludes areas such as digital television, agriculture, bio-fuels, environment, work and jobs, public health and social development", added the release.

Bilateral trade has trebled from 375 million dollars in 2001 to a billion dollars last year, while Brazilian exports toEcuadorincreased 152%, imports have increased seven-fold.

Following Patriota's meeting with Ecuadorean Foreign minister Ricardo Patiño, the Brazilian minister will attend on Friday the XIIth meeting of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, OTCA, together with peers fromBolivia,Colombia,Ecuador,Guyana,Peru,SurinameandVenezuela.

Ministers will review advances in the projects and plans since their last meeting in November2011 inManaos and which is described as the New Strategic Agenda for Amazon Cooperation 2011/2020.

The Brazilian Foreign ministry recalled that the Amazon basin has 6.5 million square kilometres, has a population of 36 million and holds 20% of the drinking water in the planet's surface.

The creation of the Amazon cooperation zone dates back to1978, aBrazilian initiative and has changed its name on a couple of occasions. The OTCA secretariat since 2002 is located inBrasilia. The group promotes the sustainable development of the Amazon basin.