(prensa.com) President of the United States (U.S.), Barack Obama, seeks closer ties with Latin America during an upcoming tour to a few countries in the region, which will commence next week, informed an official. U.S. Undersecretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs, José W. Fernández, highlighted the importance of Obama’s trip in terms of exploring new business opportunities and addressing some problems.
With regards to Colombia and Panama in particular, the official assured that the Obama administration remains committed to ratifying the free trade agreement (FTA) with both countries, but said the issue must go through the Congress as a matter of protocol.
The official went on to state that the U.S. remains the principle investor and importer of products from Latin America, despite the globalization of the world and the signing of more than 200 FTAs between different countries. The U.S. only signed 14 FTAs with 11 countries in recent years, he added.