The President of the Republic, Luis Lacalle Pou, saw Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo’s letter of resignation arrive at his office, presented due to the controversy unleashed by Uruguay’s position in the face of the Organization of American States (OAS) condemnation of Russia for the military actions carried out on the territory of Ukraine.
This decision was later rectified and Uruguay ultimately joined the condemnation for what the OAS considers an invasion, and the president stated that not having signed it from the start was “an error” by Bustillo. “I like to say things as they are, a mistake was formally made and that is why whoever speaks as head of state felt obliged to correct that mistake and adhere to the majority motion,” said the president when he was approached by the press. at the Artigas carnival on the weekend.
Between friends
Later, in an interview with Telemundo, made public that the Minister of Foreign Affairs had submitted his resignation to him but that he rejected it “outright”. The journalist Mariano López asked him for more details about the appointment of the position, to which Lacalle replied: “They are private conversations, I think that all the ministers, from the day they enter, know that the door is one of entry and exit (… ) In the case of Minister Bustillo, I have had a relationship for many years, and with the confidence we have, he personally did it and I ruled it out outright.”
“What you do to a friend, not even in political terms. If this complicates the management a lot, you have the freedom. He never crossed my mind,” he added.