Argentine Foreign Affairs Minister Felipe Sola has called on Latin American and Caribbean countries to embrace "solidarity multi-lateralism" to overcome the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Amid the unprecedented crisis the region is going through, our agenda of proposals is basically marked by the desire for integration," Sola said during the opening of the 38th session of the US Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) on Monday.

"We must deepen ties between our nations, promote exports and move towards solidarity multi-lateralism," Xinhua news agency quoted the Minister as saying via video conference.

Argentina "believes in global international trade, and that is why we ask the World Trade Organization (WTO) for clear rules of the game. We must integrate our markets much more.

"We must each think of our country as an exporter, but also as a buyer. We have to know how to negotiate and avoid unilateral views that generate political imbalances," he added.

The session, ECLAC's most important biennial meeting, kicked off Monday with a call to change the existing development model and redouble efforts towards a post-pandemic recovery, guided by the principles of inclusive development, equality and sustainability..