Argentina to be sued over toll collection on the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway
Paraguay will sue Argentina in front of Mercosur over the controversial toll collection imposed by the Argentine government on the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway.
Paraguay’s President, Santiago Peña, announced on Friday, September 8th, that he will seek international arbitration to resolve the dispute with Argentina.
Argentina has decided to charge a toll to vessels navigating the Argentine section of the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway.
Peña stated in a press conference, “We are requesting arbitration within the framework of the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway. This is supported by four countries, not just a Paraguayan proposal; it is also supported by Bolivia, Uruguay, and Brazil.”
Paraguay’s lawsuit against Argentina is based on sovereignty over these rivers, despite them being border rivers.
The President mentioned that they are waiting for Argentina, which has not yet appointed arbitrators in this context, to do so as soon as possible.
The announcement by the President, who previously held a meeting with the National Economic Team, came hours after Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that they would appeal to the Permanent Review Tribunal (TPR) of the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR) to resolve the dispute with Argentina.
Peña supported his Foreign Minister’s announcement, citing the Fluvial Transport Agreement of the Waterway signed in 1992 by Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
“Within the framework of MERCOSUR, we have decided to file a lawsuit based on the provisions of the Asunción Treaty, for non-compliance with norms of free circulation,” stated the President.
These announcements, both by Peña and the Foreign Ministry, came one day after Ramírez called in the Argentine Ambassador to Paraguay, Óscar Domingo Peppo, to protest against the “irregular” retention of a convoy of ten barges in a section of the waterway.
Paraguay-Paraná Waterway
The Paraguay-Paraná Waterway is a more than 3,400 km long inland water transport route. It stretches through the Paraná and Paraguay rivers, enabling continuous navigation between ports in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
The “waterway” is part of an immense water system called the “Plata Basin,” covering a vast region of just over three million square kilometers, with its surface waters flowing into the Río de la Plata.
The Paraguay-Paraná Waterway extends from Puerto Cáceres in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, to the port of Nueva Palmira in Uruguay. It guarantees year-round, day and night navigation for convoys composed of barges and a pusher tug.
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