Foreign Office Minister, Chris Bryant, has called for a more powerful and productive partnership between the EU and Latin America in order to tackle global issues.  

"Of course the EU sees Latin America as a natural ally", said Chris Bryant speaking at the Casa America organisation in Madrid on 14 September.  "We have lots of shared fundamental values, but we do not always work together to turn these values into reality".

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Spain's Presidency of the EU in the first six months of next year will be an important time for EU-Latin American relations. Chris Bryant said the UK wanted to "take advantage of its good bilateral relations with Spain to deliver shared objectives in Latin America during the Presidency". 

He called on Latin American countries to "raise their influential voices" on economic reform and for the EU and Latin America to cooperate more to deliver an international climate change agreement. 

These are just two of the global issues on which progress can be made if the EU and Latin America work together. But, said the Minister, it would take "a genuine commitment [by the EU] if we are to help Latin America reach its potential".

Chris Bryant spoke in Spanish, answering questions after the speech. 

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Notes for Editors

British Embassy in Spain

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