Uruguay hosted a meeting of Mercosur Interior and Security ministers
Montevideo hosted the LII Meeting of Ministers of the Interior and Security (RMIS) of Mercosur and Associated States. The head of the Ministry of the Interior (MI) of Uruguay, Nicolás Martinelli, highlighted the progress in the exchange of information, the fight against drug trafficking and border control and proposed creating spaces for the analysis of threats and the improvement of joint work between countries against crime.
The event, held last Friday the 15th, was also attended by the undersecretary of the MI, Pablo Abdala; the general director of the aforementioned portfolio, María José Oviedo, and the director of the National Police, José Manuel Azambuya, among other national and police authorities. Representing the countries of the bloc, the Ministers of Security of Argentina, Patricia Bullrich; of the Government of Bolivia, Carlos Eduardo del Castillo; of Justice and Public Security of Brazil, Enrique Lewandowski, and of the Interior of Paraguay, Enrique Riera Escudero, among other foreign leaders.
Martinelli highlighted the progress in security since the last meeting of authorities of the regional bloc, in areas such as the exchange of information, the fight against drug trafficking and border control, and pointed out the aspects that unite the countries over their differences. “Our common enemy is, without a doubt, crime,” he said.
The minister proposed the creation of auxiliary tables, a device for analyzing and updating threats in real time, which facilitates the sharing of data between the members of Mercosur and thus offer more appropriate responses to the claims of societies. In that sense, he said that it is necessary to dialogue about how to stop the advance of violence, new criminal organizations and destructive drugs, and stressed the importance of focusing on violent events in sports.
He also called to intensify the fight against terrorism and valued Bullrich’s initiative to work specifically on that issue. Finally, he considered that Uruguay can contribute a lot in terms of technology and innovation and referred to the challenges and opportunities of the bloc to guarantee security, “always advancing in a cooperative vision, which transcends each of our borders and strengthens our sovereignties.”
