Borrell: Latin America is underestimated, it could be the new Persian Gulf

Latin America It is “underestimated, undervalued” and “it could be the new Persian Gulf (…) in a world that is going to do without hydrocarbons to enter into sustainable energy,” said the High Representative for Foreign Policy of the European Union (EU), Josep Borrell.

In an interview with EFE in Santo Domingo during the Ibero-American Summit in which he participates, Borrell highlighted the potential of Latin America for the ongoing transformations and highlighted the “huge reserves of lithium”, so that the countries involved “They are already organizing among themselves to form an alliance to face all together the international demand that they are going to receive.”

EU AND AMERICA, CUT FROM THE SAME PATTERNS

After ensuring that the EU and Latin America “they form societies cut by the same cultural and political patterns, enormously close”stated that, as a community representative, it gives him “It is very satisfying to see the strength that Latin America has because of its youth, because of its preparation, younger and more prepared people.”

Besides, “in a world under enormous tensions”, He valued the absence of wars, they are peaceful countries, despite the violence.

In his opinion, the next Spanish presidency of the EU is “definitely an opportunity” for the Union’s relations with Latin America and will “much more emphasis” in this region than another European country that was historically, culturally and linguistically further away.

Regarding the pacts with the Common Market of the South (Mercosur), Chile and Mexico, he stated that Spain “is going to work hard so that these agreements advance, but it is not clear that the whole world sees it.”

“It would be a great missed opportunity if progress was not made this semester on an agreement that has been under discussion for more than twenty years,” alerted.

THE WAR IN UKRAINE, A WORLD PROBLEM

He also spoke of the conflict in Ukraine and rebelled against the argument that it is not the only war in the world, but “The plague does not justify cholera.”

This war that “We are facing now, it is not a problem among Europeans, it is not something that Ibero-Americans can wash their minds about, we are saying it is not our problem, it affects the balance of rights, freedoms and progress in the world”.

“Today there are more hungry people in the world than before the war and there is more poverty and more food and energy (price) rises than ever, and that is a consequence of that war and the responsibility of those who started it and continue it”he stressed.

Regarding the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons announced today by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Borrell warned that it means “another escalation of the conflict” Yes too “another sign of the collaboration of the dictatorial regime of Belarus with Russia”.

HAITI WILL NOT COME OUT OF THE CRISIS ALONE

Regarding the crisis in Haiti, plunged into a serious situation in all aspects and a spiral of violence, the high community representative insisted that that country “It will not come out of the crisis it is in alone (…), that has to be done through international action.”

In his opinion, “The place where these demands and responses have to begin to take place is in Latin America (…) They cannot expect Europe to act to pacify Haiti, it must be done within the framework of an international action by the United Nations that should be encouraged” for the region.

“If they (Latin Americans) don’t care about it more than anyone else, they can’t hope that other parts of the world that are further away do so. America has large countries with an enormous capacity for international influence and all the necessary capacities” for this, he concluded.

Source: EFE