Guatemala City, by AGN – The European Union -EU- and Guatemala signed on Tuesday a memorandum of understanding on bilateral consultations that will strengthen relations between the two parties during a ceremony in Brussels in the presence of Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo de León.
The document was signed by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and the Guatemalan Foreign Minister, Carlos Ramiro Martínez Alvarado, and aims to promote a structured dialogue on many topics, from green transition to trade and investment.
After signing the document, Borrell said, “With this Memorandum of Understanding, we demonstrate a clear and steadfast will to strengthen our bilateral relations, establishing a bilateral, open, and structured dialogue, as the EU does with all partners with whom it wants to have a privileged network.”
"With this Memorandum we demonstrate a clear and firm will to strengthen our relations, establishing a regular, open, and structured dialogue between the EU and Guatemala" HR/VP@JosepBorrellF after the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding with Guatemala. pic.twitter.com/3JscHoB10z
— European External Action Service – EEAS 🇪🇺 (@eu_eeas) February 20, 2024
Visit to the country
The European High Representative met with President Arévalo after the ceremony. He recalled that when he attended his inauguration on January 14, they had already spoken about this memorandum and how relations between the EU and Guatemala should flourish and develop when he became president.
The high EU official added, “It was not an ordinary inauguration; it was a transcendental one because we were able to bring the will of the Guatemalans to a successful conclusion, and now it is a great pleasure to receive him in Brussels.”
Borrell stressed that his visit at that time was a sign of the commitment of the EU and its Member States to the people of Guatemala and their firm support for the president, who was elected at the polls and is now in office.
Furthermore, the High Representative affirmed that EU support has been consistent from the beginning and that the electoral mission he sent to the presidential elections in Guatemala verified that they had taken place properly.
He mentioned the EU’s sanctions on Guatemala’s Attorney General, Consuelo Porras Argueta, and four people for their attempts to stop Arévalo’s inauguration.
Una colaboración que abre nuevas puertas 🇬🇹🤝🇪🇺.
— Bernardo Arévalo (@BArevalodeLeon) February 20, 2024
Hemos firmado un memorando de entendimiento con la Unión Europea que marca el inicio de una cooperación más directa y segura. Guatemala da un paso firme para el fortalecimiento de las relaciones, la inversión y el desarrollo.… pic.twitter.com/LNWfkoT0aC
Paramount document
Minister of Foreign Affairs Martínez highlighted that this memorandum would strengthen bilateral relations through the systematization of the dialogue and will be an important platform to develop a long-term specific agenda based on shared values.
He affirmed that this bilateral agenda comprises a great diversity of topics, from trade and investment to cooperation for developing and promoting human rights, culture, and education.
According to the minister, “We see great opportunities to work with the EU to continue strengthening our ties in areas such as development projects under the Global Gateway initiative, the EU’s global investment program.”
He also referred to the security agenda within the framework of the PAcCTO program and Guatemala’s accession to the Latin American Security Council -CLASI-, something he expects the country to do in the next few days.
He highlighted the opportunities for cooperation to strengthen bilateral dialogue within the European Union’s digital partnership framework and said they expect to hold the first high-level meeting of the bilateral consultation mechanism soon.
Challenges ahead
Borrell stressed, “We have many challenges beyond good governance and the rule of law,” and praised the measures taken by Guatemala in favor of the environment.
He recalled that during his visit to Guatemala, he announced the investment of 50 million euros by the EU in the department of Petén and said that the services of the European Commission will travel to the country in March to address the Global Gateway projects.
