MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier this month, 12 countries of the Pacific Rim, including Chile, Peru and Mexico, reached an agreement on the wording and subject matter of the TPP free trade deal, expected to cover about 40 percent of the global economy.
"The Latin American TTP participants show great and persistent interest in establishing constructive cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union and its body — the Eurasian Economic Commission [EEC]," Alexander Shchetinin told RIA Novosti in an interview.
He pointed out that Chile and the EEC signed a memorandum on cooperation in June, while the first round of consultations on the matter was held at the end of October in Santiago. A similar memorandum with Peru was signed earlier this month in Lima.
"The interest of the Latin American Pacific Rim states in establishing concrete links with the Eurasian structures is obvious and we will certainly support and actively support it," the diplomat stressed.
The unusual secrecy surrounding the TPP negotiations, and the uncertain implications of the deal for workers’ rights, national sovereignty, employment, copyright and the environment have drawn strong criticism from lawmakers, economics experts and the public.
The Eurasian Economic Union is a Russia-initiated integration association, streamlining the flow of goods and services between member countries, including Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.
