Paraguay asks at UN for Venezuela to rejoin Mercosur

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña called for Venezuela's readmission to the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) during his address to the UN General Assembly, according to the outlet Banca y Negocios, which reported the news on September 24.

Venezuela was indefinitely suspended from the South American trade bloc when Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay invoked the Ushuaia Protocol, a mechanism that provides for sanctions in the event of a rupture of the democratic order. The Caribbean nation had originally joined the bloc as a full member in 2012.

In his speech, the Paraguayan leader called for joint efforts to help Venezuela reintegrate into the world and have a democratic government. The request comes shortly after agreements reached between Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, and Santiago Peña himself to advance the reactivation of institutional channels and the restoration of bilateral relations.

Mercosur is one of the most significant trade integration arrangements in the region. Its operation seeks the free movement of goods, services and factors of production among its member countries, facilitating value chains and preferential tariffs.