El Salvador to set up mission in TT

Gift along with Honorary Consul to El Salvador, businessman Vincent Quensel met earlier last week with a delegation from El Salvador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs which was in Trinidad and Tobago finalising plans to open the Mission.

The delegation headed by El Salvador’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Eduardo C?lix L?pez discussed many initiatives with respect to establishing a closer relationship with Trinidad and Tobago with particular co-operation in the Energy Sector.

A statement from TT’s Foreign affairs Ministry said there was discussion of the possibility of a Free Trade Agreement patterned on the Costa Rica-TT Trade Agreement.

This agreement was signed by both countries on January 10 in San Jose Costa Rica after five negotiation meetings held in Port-of-Spain and San Jose since May 2001. It made provisions for direct flights to Costa Rica via BWIA, market access and anti-dumping trade access among other conditions.

According to the release, one hundred percent of goods produced in Trinidad and Tobago will enter Costa Rica duty free while 97.4 percent of goods manufactured in Costa Rica will enter Trinidad and Tobago with zero duties during the first four years of the agreement.

Gift informed El Salvador’s delegation that the geological location of Trinidad and Tobago makes it an ideal transportation hub between Central and South America.

Both countries are therefore prepared to further discuss a partnership between El Salvador’s national airline TACA and BWIA fashioned after present negotiations between Trinidad and Tobago and the Government of Panama and its airline COPA.