The Swiss government announced on Wednesday (5) that it intends to make donations to the Amazon Fund. Federal Councilor and Swiss Minister of Economy, Education and Research Guy Parmelin made the announcement at the Idamarati Palace in Brasilia. The amount of the donation was not disclosed, but Parmelin said the exchange should take place in the coming weeks.
“Starting today, we will improve our engagement. I am pleased to announce that Switzerland will contribute to the Amazon Fund. The first contribution will be in the coming weeks. We want to start this partnership with Brazil and other countries,” Parmelin said.
Vice President Geraldo Alcmin (PSB) welcomed a member of the Swiss Parliament at the Idamarati Palace in Brasília during the Brazil-Switzerland Forum on Investments and Innovations for Infrastructure and Sustainability. The event is held to attract Swiss investors to invest in infrastructure and industrial sectors in Brazil within the scope of sustainability.
Switzerland joins the United States and the United Kingdom in donating to the fund. This year, the North American country announced a donation of R$ 2 billion and the British country announced a donation of half a billion to the Amazon Fund. In addition to them, the European Union will allocate 20 million euros to the fund. According to the federal government, the amount deposited is used in activities for sustainability and combating deforestation in the Amazon region.
Alkmin thanked the Swiss minister for this initiative and highlighted the cooperation between the countries. “[A doação é] Very important to the recovery of our Amazon forest. [Também] I highlight good economic partnership and investment opportunities,” he said.
The Brazilian Vice President also spoke about efforts to combat deforestation in the region. “Armed Forces [estão] Clearing protected areas in the Amazon where gold miners are currently invading… a big job [tem sido feito] in the region,” he concluded.
Alkmin thanked Switzerland for damaging the 17th-century Balthazar Martinot clock in the January 8 actions.
Agreement between EFTA and Mercosur
At this Wednesday’s meeting between the leaders, Alckmin also spoke about the Brazilian government’s interest in strengthening relations with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), of which Switzerland is a member.
The European Union, which includes Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Austria and Portugal, has been negotiating a free trade agreement with Mercosur since 2017. Currently the negotiations are in the same situation as the Mercosur-European Union agreement. .
In 2019, a document was completed but was not approved by the constituents. During Brazil’s presidency of Mercosur, the vice president spoke of his interest in resuming negotiations.
“We have every interest in expanding the possibilities of trade transparency and mutual investment with the EU and EFTA. With the EU, the government has already made a lot of progress, and we hope that we will reach a good conclusion. With EFTA, we will. Complement each other’s economic investment that creates jobs and income. It can be done,” Alkmin said.
During this meeting, the Swiss Minister said that the country contributes to the progress of the negotiations between the countries in a positive manner.
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