The President of the Republic, Luis Lacalle Pou, received the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, this Wednesday the 25th at Suárez’s residence. “We belong to Mercosur and we have that vocation unchanged,” he reaffirmed at the end of the meeting. Lacalle Pou called for a “modern, flexible and open to the world” regional bloc. Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo and his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Viera were present.
“We ended an intense and extensive meeting, as we like to have meetings with the leaders, directly stating what the interests of our peoples are, clear of ideologies, simply trying to agree on what our nations need,” said Lacalle Pou in the joint statement with his Brazilian counterpart, Da Silva, at the end of the meeting.
The trade balance between the two countries and the improvement of Mercosur were two of the points addressed. Regarding the latter, Lacalle Pou asserted that the nuances of difference were put aside for the two nations to advance as members of the regional bloc.
The Head of State highlighted Uruguay’s “need” to “open up to the world” and “try to do it with all of Mercosur”. In this sense, he confirmed that the country is “with its negotiations” and “has no impediment in informing” the members of the bloc of the content of the negotiations.
He announced that a technical team will be formed with representatives of both nations, an invitation that will be extended to experts from Argentina and Paraguay, to determine what “we really need from our relationship with China.”
Lacalle Pou recognized the economic and demographic weight of Brazil as very important and added: If there is a definition of the government of that country in advancing in the negotiations with the Asian, “we will be able to fold, if it really agrees with the needs of our country ”.
He reiterated that Uruguay maintains a dialogue with China and, in parallel, Brazil will deepen or start another path. In time, it will be evaluated whether Mercosur will begin a joint negotiation in pursuit of a free trade agreement or Uruguay will join the negotiations with the northern government. “We belong to Mercosur and we have that vocation unchanged. Modern, flexible and open to the world”, he underlined.
In addition to issues related to the trade bloc, the heads of state discussed the trade balance between the two countries and infrastructure issues. In this area, there is a will to advance on the waterway of the Merín and Los Patos lagoons and the dredging of the San Gonzalo canal in Brazilian territory, as well as the reconditioning of the Barón de Mauá binational bridge, which connects the cities of Río Branco and Yaguaron. In airport matters, the presidents mentioned the desire for the Rivera airport to be binational, in order to promote connectivity between our country and southern Brazil.
Uruguay’s claims are fair
Da Silva, meanwhile, thanked Luis Lacalle Pou for having attended his inauguration in January, accompanied by former presidents Julio María Sanguinetti and José Mujica.
He considered the position of the Uruguayan president fair, because his role is, above all, to defend the interests of his people and also because it is fair to want to produce and sell more. He added that this is why it is important to open up to other nations.
He also stated that he shares the ideas of innovation and openness, that Mercosur must modernize and that, to review what needs to be studied, the technicians must participate, then the ministers and then the presidents. He remarked that it is urgent and extremely necessary for Mercosur to reach an agreement with the European Union. He also pointed out that an agreement between China and Mercosur should be discussed and opined that such a negotiation is very possible.
As for the Rivera airport, he acknowledged that it could be transformed into an international terminal and that Lacalle Pou would shortly obtain an answer in this regard.
He indicated that their relationship as heads of state does not go through a vision of ideological biases, but that the leaders must respect the sovereignty of each country and the interests that lead each ruler to fight for the good of his people.
The meeting was also attended by Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo and his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Viera. In parallel, Vice President Beatriz Argimón and the first lady of the northern country, Rosângela da Silva, met.
In the press conference participated, for Uruguay, the Secretary of the Presidency, Álvaro Delgado; the secretary, Rodrigo Ferrés; the Ministers of Industry, Energy and Mining, Omar Paganini; Interior, Luis Alberto Heber, and Education and Culture, Pablo da Silveira, as well as the interim for Economy and Finance, Alejandro Irastorza.
Also present, as members of the Brazilian delegation, were the Ministers of Economy, Fernando Haddad, and of Science and Technology, Luciana Santos, and the Secretary General of the Presidency, Marcio Santos. Presidency
