13/09/2012
As Chair of the Transatlantic Task Force on Latin America together with Senator Christopher J. Dodd, designated as the initiative"s American chair Aznar, European chair of the Latin American initiative for the USA"s Atlantic Council Created to "give a new thrust to the trilateral relations between USA, Europe and Latin America, based on the desire to promote freedom and prosperity" It will develop political recommendations on integration, trade, investment, natural resource management and public safety issues, among others During his stay in Washington, Aznar has also taken part in the Atlantic Initiative at the Johns Hopkins University Madrid, 13.09.12.- The former Spanish Prime Minister and President of the FAES Foundation, Jos? Mar?a Aznar(http://www.jmaznar.es/biografia) has been designated as the European chair of the Transatlantic Task Force on Latin America of the Atlantic Council of the United States, ACUS. This new initiative by the prestigious _think tank_, inspired by Aznar himself, has just held its first meeting in Washington. At that session, Aznar pointed out that the aim is to "give a new thrust to the relations between the United States, Europe and Latin America, based on shared values and the desire to promote freedom and prosperity in the world". Senator Christopher J. Dodd, for his part, has been elected as the U.S. Chair of the initiative. During his speech, Aznar also indicated that "the United States, Europe and Latin America have the responsibility to work together" and that "growth in the Pacific should be an incentive to renew and strengthen trans-Atlantic relations". In this sense, Aznar has stated that "we want for Latin America the same as we want for Europe and the United States, the same respect for individual freedoms, the same democratic practices and culture and the same opportunities for prosperity". For this reason, he stressed that "we must promote the construction of strong democratic institutions in the region and find effective formulas for combating organized crime and drug-related terrorism; as well as promoting co-operation and free trade in order to have a Latin America that is freer, more open and more prosperous". The Trans-Atlantic Task Force will therefore develop political recommendations on integration, trade, investment and natural resource management issues; as well as on public safety, trans-national crime, the development of human capital and entrepreneurship. The first document with its conclusions is slated for the start of 2013. Aznar has sat on the International Advisory Committee of the Atlantic Council since early 2007. For over 50 years, this prestigious U.S. think tank has been promoting leadership and commitment to foreign policy matters on the basis of trans-Atlantic co-operation and international security. JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY During his stay in Washington, Aznar gave a lecture on the growing importance of the Atlantic hemisphere at the Centre for Trans-Atlantic Studies in Johns Hopkins University. In his speech, Aznar indicated that "the success or failure of nations is and will be measured by their ability to adapt to globalization" and he maintained that "many matters affecting the world today require an Atlantic approach". In this sense he stated that "any successful, long-lasting trans-Atlantic initiative must be based on a union of like minds". Aznar heads the Atlantic Initiative of the Centre for Trans-Atlantic Studies at the Johns Hopkins University in the United States, which held its founding meeting in S?o Paulo last April. The initiative, that countries are still signing up for, arose with the aim of studying all the instruments for political, economic, social, cultural and technological interaction among the nations of the Atlantic Basin from all four of its pillars: North and South America, Europe and Africa.