Georgia will be one of three U.S. states to benefit most from the adoption of the Free Trade of the Americas (FTAA), Kenneth “Buddy” MacKay Jr. said at a celebration of National Trade Education Day held in Atlanta Nov. 10.
According to Mr. MacKay, a former governor of Florida and currently the White House’s special envoy for the Americas, Georgia, Florida and Texas would benefit most from the agreement.
“As a Southerner I can see clearly what a huge opportunity that this is going to be because we’ll be in the middle of it,” he added. “This will be the biggest emerging market in the world for the remainder of our lifetimes.”
Mr. MacKay predicted that the FTAA would be created during the next decade, possibly as soon as in five years, creating a free trade area bigger than that of the European Union (EU) with an annual gross national product of $10 trillion.
He reiterated several times his goal of placing the emphasis on the expansion of U.S. trade relations in the hemisphere. “My goal is to get the government to look North and South in addition to East and West,” he said.
The celebration was held at the headquarters of Delta Air Lines and was co-hosted by Leo Mullin, Delta’s chairman, president and CEO, and Duane Ackerman, chairman and CEO of BellSouth Corp. Both Mr. Ackerman and Mr. Mullin are members of the President’s Export Council, a prestigious advisory body for trade issues.
Mr. MacKay praised the efforts of both Delta and BellSouth to develop significant presences throughout the hemisphere.
For more information about this event, call Delta at (404) 715-2554.