The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboamet this Tuesday in Ottawa with the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeauwith whom he agreed to promote bilateral trade relations and begin negotiations in April for the signing of a free trade agreement between the two countries.
Trudeau, welcoming President Noboa in the Canadian Parliament, noted that the meeting would be an opportunity to “talk about all the ways” in which the two countries are aligned.
«We are launching negotiations for a free trade agreement. “We are talking about all the different ways we can work together not only to create opportunities for citizens but to create solutions to the many problems the world faces.”Trudeau added, calling Noboa a “visionary leader.”
For his part, Noboa stated that the two countries share “democratic values” and that both “are concerned about the environment and the world.”
«We are a very young nation that wants to work with the rest of the world, also generating opportunities for our young population. We have a high level of youth unemployment but we are working with public policies and international cooperation to be able to give better lives to the future families of Ecuador.”added the Ecuadorian president.
Noboa, who traveled to Canada accompanied by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Gabriela Sommerfeld; Energy and Mines, Andrea Arrobo; and Production, International Trade, Investments and Fishing, Sonsoles Garcíaparticipated on Monday in the largest mining fair in the world, PDACwhich runs through Wednesday in Toronto.
At PDAC, Noboa invited foreign investors to the country and noted that both the economic and security situation has improved substantially since he came to power in November 2023.
The Ecuadorian president also revealed that in “two or three months”, Quito and the Monetary Fund International (IMF) They will reach an agreement to cement the financial stability of the country.
But in Canada, Noboa has also had to face critics of the large mining projects that Ecuador is promoting, in many cases with Canadian companies.
A few days before their arrival, a group of Shuar Arutam indigenous people from the Ecuadorian Amazon, together with several civil rights organizations, filed a complaint against the Canadian mining company Solaris Resources, which is developing the so-called Warintza project in the province of Morona Santiago.
After Noboa’s presentation at PDAC, the organization Amazon Watch denounced that the Ecuadorian president had not revealed to the audience at the mining fair that 12 of the country’s main mining projects “face legal problems, opposition or are paralyzed” for not having the approval of indigenous communities.
And this Tuesday, activists opposed to mining demonstrated in downtown Toronto during the awards ceremony held each year by PDAC to protest against the projects promoted by Canadian mining companies around the world “against the will of the people.” originating. EFE (I)
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