Over one thousand exporters and importers to gather at Fifth Andean Business Forum

Lima, Feb. 22, 2002. More than one thousand Andean businessmen and importers from Canada, the United States, Brazil and France will attend the Fifth Andean Business Forum in Guayaquil, Ecuador on May 14 and 15 of this year.

This announcement was made by members of the Ecuadorian delegation that is organizing the event, at an act held last evening at the Andean Community General Secretariat (CAN) headquarters in Lima. The aims and details of the Forum were described and Peruvian businessmen were invited to participate.

The Fifth Andean Business Forum is being sponsored by the Andean Development Corporation (CAF) with the collaboration of the Andean Community (CAN). Corpei has been charged by Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Trade, Industrialization, Fisheries and Competitiveness with organizing the event, together with its counterparts from the other Andean countries and the respective export promotion institutions.

Alexandra Echeverría, Corpei Coordinator of Fairs and Events, pointed out that the Forum will be confined mainly to the chemicals and plastics, agricultural and agribusiness, fishing and aquiculture, textile and garment, metalworking and software sectors.

The event has been organized into business meetings, panels on issues of interest to businessmen and an exhibit of products and services targeting buyers, distributors and representatives.

Some 200 tables will be set up for the business meetings, while the commercial exhibit will consist of 92 stands.

Juan Francisco Ballén, Corpei consultant responsible for the panels, announced that well-known experts will talk about the common policy guidelines for land transportation, investment promotion and the new elements of competitiveness in the Andean region.

A new panel has been added, dealing with the effects on trade of the Presidential mandates emanating from the recent Santa Cruz de la Sierra Summit and the current status of and outlook for the Andean Common Market.

Ecuadorian Ambassador to Peru Juan Manrique Martínez underscored the significance his government attaches to the success of the forum, while the representative of Peru’s Ministry of Integration, International Negotiations and Trade, Juan Carlos Matthews, emphasized the importance of trust between exporters and importers as one of the keys to the commercial operations the Forum hopes to promote.

Prompex General Manager Antonio Castillo drew attention to the importance of these forums for promoting strategic alliances with investors who contribute "technology, the market and financing."

CAN Director General Tomás Uribe stressed the importance of the Presidential directives agreed upon in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, pointing out that they "involve the adoption of new playing rules for the business sector" that will help to speed up the Andean integration process.

Businessmen interested in participating in the Fifth Andean Business Forum can register up to March 31 of this year with the export promotion institutions in any of the Andean Community Member Countries. For more information, we suggest that you visit our special website for the event: www.vforoandino.com.